Introduction to Excel
What is Excel?
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program that is designed to store, summarize, and present data.
It is a large grid of vertical columns and horizontal rows that can be used to manipulate data, usually numerical.
Cell References
To identify a cell you give it a cell reference.
Entering Text
Text is any combination of numbers, spaces, and nonnumeric characters.
All text is left-aligned in a cell.
Entering Numbers
Numbers that you type into a cell are constant values.
All numbers are right-aligned in the cell.
Formatting Cells
To adjust the width of a column, click and drag the right boundary of the column heading.
To adjust the width of more than one column, first, hold down the shift key and select the columns you wish to change. Now drag the right boundary of any of the selected column headings.
Rows can be adjusted in the same manner.
To adjust every cell on the worksheet simultaneously, use the all button, this will select every cell on the worksheet.
Exploring the Toolbars
After you entered data into a worksheet, you can change the appearance, summarize or sort data using the menus and toolbars.
The menus allow you to access every Excel command. The Standard and Formatting toolbars let you save files, cut, paste, and format your data with one mouse click.
Workbook
Microsoft Excel allows you to manipulate and store data in a file called a workbook.
Each workbook initially contains several worksheets which can be organized around a particular theme.
Worksheets
Data is entered, manipulated, and displayed on worksheets.
In addition, data from different worksheets can be used to perform multiple calculations.
The same data can exist and can be edited on more than one worksheet at a time.
Worksheets are labeled by their sheet tabs.
Navigation through your worksheets is accomplished by clicking the sheet tabs.
To add a new worksheet to your workbook, Click Worksheet on the Insert menu
To rename a worksheet, Double click the desired sheet tab and type in the new name.
To delete a worksheet, Click on the desired sheet tab. Under the Edit menu, choose Delete Sheet.
Formulas
Formulas are expressions that perform calculations on your data.
A formula in Microsoft Excel follows a specific order. It begins with an equal sign, =.
It follows the order of operations, and you can use also use grouping symbols to group operations that should be calculated first.
In Microsoft Excel there are different symbols that are used to represent the mathematical operations.
+ Addition
- Subtraction and negation
* Multiplication
/ Division
^ Exponent
Inequality Symbols- when you what to compare two values.
= equal to
Greater than
Less than
>= Greater than or equal to
<= Less than or equal to
Not Equal to
Entering a Formula
• Click on the cell you want to enter the formula.
• You can type the equal sign”=“, use the Edit Formula or The Paste Function on the Standard Toolbar.
• Type in the formula
Functions
Functions are built in formulas that carry out calculations by using particular values in a certain order.
Some commonly used functions:
SUM MOD AVERAGE MAX
INT COUNTIF SQRT RAND()
Filling in Data
When you have a progression of data that you don’t need to type in, the fill handle can be used complete the list data.
Absolute References
Cell references won’t change when the formula is copied to another cell.
These references are shown in a formula by using dollar signs, $A$1, rather than without, A1.
Relative References
Relative references are written without the dollar sign. These cells will change when the formula with the references are copied to another cell.
The benefit is that you can write a formula once and copy it as many times you like.
Iterations
A repetitive process, that where the output from the previous stage becomes the input for the next stage.
Auditing
Excel has built in auditing tools for quickly displaying such relationships between cells.
These auditing tools can be very useful, especially when exploring someone else’s work.