ELECTRONIC SPREADSHEET
Chang-Yang Lin
Eastern Kentucky University
EXCEL BASICS
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Electronic Spreadsheet
Cells: The Basic Building Blocks
Navigate Excel
Explore the Menus
Select Multiple Cells
Create a Spreadsheet
Edit the Spreadsheet
Formulas
Electronic Spreadsheet
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Excel is a spreadsheet application for analyzing,
organizing, and charting numerical data. Data
is entered electronically, so numerical numbers
can be updated without time-consuming
recalculations or corrections.
Excel can create charts to present your data
visually. Data can appear as a a bar, line, XY or
pie chart for visual presentation.
Data can be sorted and queried.
Examples:
– Fun-N-Sun Sojourn 1st Qtr Sales
– Inwood: Evaluation of proposed golf sites
Name Box indicates active cell
Formula Bar
Active Cell
CELLS: The Basic Building Blocks
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Each cell has an address, which is determined by its
column and row position:
– columns are indicated by letters
– rows are indicated by numbers
Cells can contain values, labels, or formulas:
– labels are the text headings or titles that describe
what the numbers represent
– values are numbers for calculations
– formulas perform calculations
Navigate Excel
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The basic document file
in Excel is a workbook
– Up to 255 worksheets
– Each worksheet is
divided into 256 columns
and 65,536 rows
– The intersection of a row
and column forms a cell,
the smallest working
section of a worksheet
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Navigating a Workbook
– Click the sheet tab to
activate the worksheet
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The current, active cell
has a highlighted
border, called the cell
selector, around it.
Move between cells of a
worksheet using either
the mouse or the
keyboard.
Press Ctrl + Home to
return to cell A1
Create a Spreadsheet:
A Four-step Process To Create A Spreadsheet
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Enter the labels that describe the values.
Enter the numbers or values.
Add any formulas needed to calculate results.
Format the entries to make the spreadsheet
easy to read and understand.
Entering a
text label
Entering a
value/number
Entering a
formula
Use AutoSum
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The AutoSum button automatically places the
=SUM() function in a selected cell or range.
– When a single cell is selected, AutoSum inserts
the arguments, then waits for you to confirm the
entry.
– When a range is selected, AutoSum automatically
totals the rows and columns
The AutoSum feature first tries to find values above
the selected formula cell, then tries to locate them to
the left.
AutoFill
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The AutoFill feature allows you to enter similar
formulas in dozens, or hundreds of cells.
The AutoFill handle is located in the lower rightcorner of the cell selector. Dragging it to adjacent
cells automatically fills them with a logical
progression of formulas, labels, or values.
Formulas: A Preview
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A formula is used to calculate a result for a defined
range of numerical data.
A formula is prefixed with an equal (=) symbol.
Formulas require a set of arguments, and valid
mathematical operators. The arguments are the cell
addresses.
=C5+C6+C7 is equivalent to =SUM(C5:C7)
Copy a formula does not duplicate it exactly - the
relative cell addresses are adjusted when the formula
is moved.