chapter.05

Chapter 5Creating a Worksheet

2Practical Microsoft Office 2010

What’s inside and on the CD?

• In this chapter you will learn the essentials of creating a Microsoft Excel worksheet

• Excel provides a set of tools for simple or complex calculations such as:– Creating a budget– Estimating expenses– Creating an income and expense projection


What’s in the Excel window?

• To start Excel:– Click Start– Point to All Programs– Click Microsoft Office– Click Microsoft Office Excel 2007

• Ribbon is similar to Microsoft Word• This chapter points out important features in Excel

that differ from features in Word



• A worksheet is grid of columns and rows– Columns labeled with letters– Rows labeled with numbers

• Excel worksheets saved in workbook• Workbook contains one or more worksheets

represented by tab at bottom of Excel window



• When workbooks saved or opened, all work sheets saved or opened

• Click sheet tab to go to that sheet• Right-click tab to rename, insert, or delete sheet



• A worksheet cell or cell is rectangle formed by intersection of column and row

• Each cell has unique name consisting of column letter followed by row number

• For example, cell B3 is located in second column of third row



• The active cell, marked by black outline, is one you can currently edit or modify

• Click any cell to make it active, or use arrow keys• A range is series of cells, e.g., D3:D6 is range of all

cells from D3 through D6– Click and drag to select range of cells


How do I enter labels?

• A label is any text entered into cell:– worksheet title– describe numbers in other cells– text data such as names of people or cities

• Any “number” not used in calculation must be entered as label

• If label is too long to fit in current cell, it will extend into cells to right if they are empty



• To make label wrap and display in two or more lines inside same cell:– From the Home tab, click the Wrap Text button in

the Alignment group



• Edit label by clicking cell, then click in Formula bar• Use arrow keys to move insertion point and

backspace and delete keys to edit text• Press Enter key or Enter button on formula bar to

accept change • Press Cancel button to exit without keeping

changes• Edit label inside cell by double-clicking cell then edit

with arrows, Backspace, and Delete keys


How do I enter values?

• A value is a number entered into cell and used in calculations

• Values can be used in formulas to calculate results• Type minus sign (-) before number to enter a

negative value



• A value can be edited just as you would edit a label – in the cell or in the Formula bar

• Excel makes assumptions about the values as you enter them

• Type an apostrophe (‘) before a number to specify it as a label



• Use the Fill handle to automatically enter values with technique called drag-and-fill

• Point to the bottom-right corner of a cell. When the pointer changes to a black cross shape, drag the pointer across or down other cells

• Displays the Auto Fill Options button– Fill with series of numbers– Fill with value of initial cell with or without

formatting– Fill with cell formatting without a value


How do I enter formulas?

• A formula specifies how to add, subtract, multiply, divide, or otherwise calculate values in cells

• Formulas always begin with an equal (=) sign and can use cell references that point to other cells

• A cell reference is the column and row location of a cell



• For example, the formula =C2-C3 subtracts the contents of cell C3 from the contents of cell C2

• Common arithmetic operators are:- (subtraction) / (division)+ (addition) % (percent)* (multiplication) ^ (exponent)



• To enter a formula:– Click the cell where you want the result of the

formula to appear. Type the equal sign (=).– Click the first cell referenced in the formula. A

marquee, which is a rectangle of dashes, will surround the cell just clicked.

– Type an arithmetic operator (+,-,*,/) then click the next cell referenced in the formula.

– Press Enter to end the formula.



• A formula can also be typed directly into the cell• Edit a formula in the cell or in the Formula bar the

same as labels and values


How do I create complex formulas?

• Complex statistical, financial, and mathematical formulas can be created in Excel.

• Use parentheses to make sure the operations in a formula are executed in the correct order.

• Without parentheses, Excel will calculate using the following order: multiplication and division, then addition and subtraction.



• By using parentheses you can specify the order of calculation.

• For example, in the formula, =B3+C3*1.2, Excel will multiply cell C3 by 1.2 then add that to the value in cell B3.



• In the formula, =(B3+C3)*1.2, Excel will add cell B3 to cell C3 then multiply the result by 1.2

• A formula can include values, cell references, or both.

• Copying or moving formulas can lead to unexpected results


How do I use functions?

• Excel includes many predefined formulas, called functions• Excel includes these examples:

– Financial functions – payments and net value– Mathematical and trigonometric function – absolute

value and arctangent– Statistical functions – average and normal distribution

• You can use the Insert Function button to select a function from a list. There are more than 250 from which to choose

• Clicking on a function in the list will display a tip about the function’s use



• The Payment or PMT function calculates the payments for a loan

• The PMT function will calculate loan payments for a car or a house, among others

• Formulas can include multiple functions



• Arguments are values or cell references used in the function for calculations.

• For example, the Average function’s argument is a series of numbers or cell references used in the calculation.

• The result is the average of the values.



• To select a range of cells for your argument, click and drag to select the range.

• Some functions need more than one argument and they may be required or optional.

• The PMT function, for example, requires three arguments and two optional arguments.



• It can be difficult to enter arguments for a function.• If you need help, click Help on this function link.• When using a new function check results with

calculator.


How do I use the AutoSum button?

• The AutoSum button is used to quickly calculate the total of a column or row of cells.

• Excel examines cells to the left and above current cell to determine inclusion.

• The AutoSum button can be tricked by a blank cell or a cell containing a label. It is always wise to double-check the range.



• Be careful using the AutoSum button to calculate a range in a column with a numeric heading

• Watch the marquee to verify the range• If the AutoSum button does not automatically select

the correct cells, create the Sum function manually

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Technology

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active cell

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cell formatting

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cell references