What is a spreadsheet

A spreadsheet is the computer equivalent of a paper ledger sheet. It consists of a grid made from columns and rows. It is an environment that can make number manipulation easy and somewhat painless.

Basics of a Spreadsheet
So let's get started digging into what makes a spreadsheet work. Spreadsheets are made up of
columns rows and their intersections are called cells

What is a COLUMN ?
In a spreadsheet the COLUMN is defined as the vertical space that is going up and down the window. Letters are used to designate each COLUMN'S location.

In each cell there may be the following types of data

text (labels) number data (constants) formulas (mathematical equations that do all the work)

What is a ROW ?
In a spreadsheet the ROW is defined as the horizontal space that is going across the window. Numbers are used to designate each ROW'S location.

What is a CELL ?
In a spreadsheet the CELL is defined as the space where a specified row and column intersect. Each CELL is assigned a name according to its COLUMN letter and ROW number.

Types of Data
In a spreadsheet there are three basic types of data that can be entered.
labels - (text with no numerical value) constants - (just a number -- constant value) formulas* - (a mathematical equation used to calculate)
data types LABEL CONSTANT FORMULA examples Name or Wage or Days 5 or 3.75 or -7.4 =5+3 or = 8*5+3 descriptions anything that is just text any number math equation

Labels in Excel
Labels are text entries. They do not have a value associated with them. We typically use labels to identify what we are talking about.

In our first example: the labels were computer ledger car loan interest # of payments

*ALL formulas MUST begin with an equal sign (=).

Constants in Excel
Constants are entries that have a specific fixed value. If someone asks you how old you are, you would answer with a specific answer. Sure, other people will have different answers, but it is a fixed value for each person.

Basic Math Functions

Spreadsheets have many Math functions built into them. Of the most basic operations are the standard multiply, divide, add and subtract. These operations follow the order of operations (just like algebra). Let's look at some examples. For these following examples lets consider the following data: A1 (column A, row 1) = 5 A2 (column A, row 2) = 7 A B A3 (column A, row 3) = 8 B1 (column B, row 1) = 3 1 5 3 B2 (column B, row 2) = 4 B3 (column B, row 3) = 6

In our first example: the constants were $12,000 9.6% 60

2 3

7 8

4 6

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Basic Math Functions

Operation Multiplication Division Addition Subtraction Symbol * / + Constant Data =5*6 =8/4 =4+7 =8-3 Referenced Data = A1 * B3 = A3 / B2 = B2 + A2 = A3 - B1 Answer 30 2 11 5

Sum Function
Probably the most popular function in any spreadsheet is the SUM function. The Sum function takes all of the values in each of the specified cells and totals their values. The syntax is:

=SUM(first value, second value, etc)

In the first and second spots you can enter any of the following (constant, cell, range of cells).

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Sum Function
1 2 3 4 5 A 25 50 75 Test

Average Function
There are many functions built into many spreadsheets. One of the first ones that we are going to discuss is the Average function. The average function finds the average of the specified data. (Simplifies adding all of the indicated cells together and dividing by the total number of cells.) The syntax is as follows.

Example =sum (A1:A3) =sum (A1:A3, 100) =sum (A1+A4) =sum (A1:A2, A5)

Cells to ADD A1, A2, A3 A1, A2, A3 and 100 A1, A4 A1, A2, A5

Answer 150 250 #VALUE! 75

=Average (first value, second value, etc.)

Text fields and blank entries are not included in the calculations of the Average Function.

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Average Function
1 2 3 4 5 A 25 50 75 100
Example =average (A1:A4) =average (A1:A4, 300) =average (A1:A5) =average (A1:A2, A4) Cells to average A1, A2, A3, A4 A1, A2, A3 and 300 A1, A2, A3, A4, A5 A1, A2, A4 Answer

Max Function
The next function we will discuss is Max (which stand for Maximum). This will return the largest (max) value in the selected range of cells. Blank entries are not included in the calculations of the Max Function. Text entries are not included in the calculations of the Max Function.

62.5 110 62.5 58.33

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Max Function
1 2 3 4 5 A 10 20 30 tes
Example =max (A1:A4) =max (A1:A4, 100) =max (A1, A3) =max (A1, A5) Cells to look at A1, A2, A3, A4 A1, A2, A3 and 100 A1, A3 A1, A5 Answer 30 100 30 10

Min Function
The next function we will discuss is Min (which stands for minimum). This will return the smallest (Min) value in the selected range of cells. Blank entries are not included in the calculations of the Min Function. Text entries are not included in the calculations of the Min Function.

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Min Function
1 2 3 4 5 A 10 20 30 tes
Example =min (A1:A4) A2, A3 and 100 =min (A1, A3) =min (A1, A5) Cells to look at A1, A2, A3, A4 A2, A3 and 100 A1, A3 A1, A5 (displays the smallest number) Answer 10 20 10 10

IF Function
The next function we will discuss is IF. The IF function will check the logical condition of a statement and return one value if true and a different value if false. The syntax is

=IF (condition, value-if-true, value-if-false)

value returned may be either a number or text if value returned is text, it must be in quotes
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IF Function
A 1 2 3 4 5 6 Price $.95 $1.37 comparing # 14000 8453 B Over a dollar? NO YES returning # 0.08 0.05 =IF (A5>10000, .08, .05) =IF (A6>10000, .08, .05) Example of IF typed into column B =IF (A2>1,"Yes","No") =IF (A3>1, "Yes", "No")

IF Function
Compares is ( .95 > 1) is (1.37 > 1) is (14000 > 10000) is (8453 > 10000) Answer NO YES .08 .05

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