1. Learning Microsoft Office For Windows — T. S. Wong ☺
Introduction Word Excel Access PowerPoint FrontPage
SS Basics
SS Exercises Spreadsheet Basics
Objectives:
Introducing the basic concepts of spreadsheets.
What Is a Spreadsheet?
A spreadsheet lets you manipulate numbers. You can add,
subtract, multiply, divide, or perform other calculations on the
numbers that you enter.
You can also format your numbers and produce charts that base on your numbers.
100
80
60 Chin
40 Eng
20 Maths
0
Simon
Peter
David
Tony
You may use different types of charts
to help you analyze your data.
250
200
150 Maths
100 Eng
50 Chin
0
Simon
Peter
David
Tony
Electronic spreadsheets help you organize you data and analyze the results. In addition,
electronic spreadsheets are faster, more efficient and produce less errors than ordinary
calculators.
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2. Learning Microsoft Office For Windows — T. S. Wong ☺
Introduction Word Excel Access PowerPoint FrontPage
SS Basics
SS Exercises Spreadsheet Basics
Row, Column & Cell
A spreadsheet document (or a worksheet), typically appears on the screen as a grid of
numbered rows and alphabetically lettered columns.
A cell is a box where you can enter
data into your spreadsheet.
The box representing the intersection of a row and a column is called a cell.
A row is a horizontal line of cells, and a column is a vertical line of cells.
Cell Address
Each cell has a unique cell address to define the location of the cell.
The cell address usually includes the column letter followed by the row number. For
example, the cell in the upper-left corner of the worksheet is called cell A1.
The active cell usually has
a dark or thick border.
Active Cell
Data is entered into the active cell (or current cell). The active cell usually has a dark or
thick border (e.g., cell D5).
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3. Learning Microsoft Office For Windows — T. S. Wong ☺
Introduction Word Excel Access PowerPoint FrontPage
SS Basics
SS Exercises Spreadsheet Basics
Contents of a Cell
A cell can be empty, or contain a numeric value, an alphabetic label, or a formula
representing a relationship between numbers or formulae in other cells.
Labels Values
Empty Cells Formulae
Values
Values are numbers being used for calculations (e.g., raw scores obtained by students in
different subjects).
Labels
Labels are headings used to identify the information in a spreadsheet (e.g., names of
students, subject names, total scores, rankings, and so on).
Formulae
Formulae are step-by-step procedures that perform calculations on the values or other
formulae. For examples:
Total = Chin + Eng + Maths
Average = Total ÷ 3
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4. Learning Microsoft Office For Windows — T. S. Wong ☺
Introduction Word Excel Access PowerPoint FrontPage
SS Basics
SS Exercises Spreadsheet Basics
Formulae & Functions
Formulae
We use formulae to perform calculations. For example, the cell E2 that displays 218 may
actually contain the formula:
=B2+C3+D2 (i.e., 58 + 79 + 81)
Similarly, the cell F2 that display 72.67 may actually contain the formula:
=E2/3 (i.e., 218 ÷ 3)
Remarks:
Spreadsheet programs usually use “/” for division and “*” for multiplication.
Functions
Functions are formulae built into the spreadsheet programs that perform common
calculations. For example, we may use the SUM function to perform the calculation so that
the cell E2 may contain the formula:
=SUM(B2:D2)
Similarly, we can also use the AVERAGE function in cell F2 so that the cell may contain
the formula:
=AVERAGE(B2:D2)
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5. Learning Microsoft Office For Windows — T. S. Wong ☺
Introduction Word Excel Access PowerPoint FrontPage
SS Basics
SS Exercises Spreadsheet Basics
Automatic Recalculation
If the content of any cell changes in an electronic spreadsheet, the program will
automatically recalculate the new results. There is no need to redo all the calculations just
as using a manual spreadsheet.
If the Maths score of Peter changes
(from 81 to 71), both his Total and
Average scores are recalculated
automatically.
What-If Analysis
You can use what-if-analyses to see the effect of changing data in a worksheet. For
example, what-if Simon got 60 marks in Eng, how will that affect his Total and Average
scores?
What-if analyses let you look into the future.
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6. Learning Microsoft Office For Windows — T. S. Wong ☺
Introduction Word Excel Access PowerPoint FrontPage
SS Basics
SS Exercises Spreadsheet Basics
Sorting Data
Data can be sorted into specific orders in a spreadsheet program easily.
Data sorted into
ascending order
according to the
Total.
Data sorted into
descending order
according to the
Total.
Formatting Data
Data can be formatted in a spreadsheet just as in a word processor.
Formatting Numbers
Normal 10000.00
Although spreadsheet programs usually
include a variety of number formats. The Comma 10,000.00
format defines only how a number looks on Currency $10,000.00
the screen, it does not affect the number
Percentage 10000.00%
itself.
Scientific 1.00E+04
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7. Learning Microsoft Office For Windows — T. S. Wong ☺
Introduction Word Excel Access PowerPoint FrontPage
SS Basics
SS Exercises Spreadsheet Basics
Charting Data
Charts allow you to see the results of your data clearly. Spreadsheet programs usually
offer many types of charts for you to choose from.
A legend explains
the symbols or
colors used in a
chart.
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