Basic spreadsheet commands

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Basic spreadsheet commands
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(note on powerpoint)

• These powerpoint slides were made using the
  following menu options
• View -- normal
• Insert -- new slide
• Format -- slide format, and choosing the one
  that allows a title and notes

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Before you sit at the computer

• 1. Make sure you have a task that motivates you
  to persist in learning Excel (or an equivalent
  spreadsheet program).
• 2. Design your spreadsheet on paper, including
  the kinds of calculations you need to do.
• 3. Arrange assistance from someone more advanced
  in using Excel.
• 4. Arrange convenient access to a computer with
  Excel installed.

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Keyboard shortcuts

• There are keyboard shortcuts for commonly used
  commands in the menus. On a windows machine
  these involve holding down the Control key in
  combination with those below. On a MAC, the
  Command (apple) key with the others, e.g.,
• C for copy
• X for cut
• V for paste in what you have copied or cut
• P for print
• S for save (do this often)

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Additional shortcuts

• Control or Command (apple) plus
• I for insert blank cell(s) or row(s) or column(s)
• K for delete the selected cell(s) or row(s) or
  column(s)
• Z to undo your last command

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A grade sheet exercise

• Type the students names in columns A B from row
  3 downwards
• List your assignments in row 2 from column 3 to
  the right
• If you plan 10 assignments then in cell M3 type
  sum(c3l3), which will add up the grades for
  that student
• Now select cell M3 by clicking on it, copy it
  into the computers memory using the copy
  command, and paste it into cells M4 to the end of
  the students.

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Bells whistles 1

• Convert grades in col. M to in col. N
• Typing the maximum grade possible in M2
• In N3 type m3/m2100
• Copy and paste this formula into the cells below
  N3
• The formula in cell N4 will read m4/m2100, and
  so on

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Bells whistles 2

• To round off to nearest number, select the cells
  you wish to round off
• Pull down the format menu, and (depending on
  version of excel being used) look for number or
  cells then number
• Choose the option with no decimal places

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Making ssheets understandable

• Include notes or comments that explain your
  spreadsheet. These can be hidden behind a cell
  using the insert comment or note menu option.
• When trying to decipher someone elses
  spreadsheet formulas, write out on paper what
  they do in words.

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Other standard formulas

• E.g., average, standard deviation, maximum,
  minimum
• Explore under the Sigma or f symbol on the tool
  bar. If your version doesnt have these, look
  for functions
• E.g., max (c3l3) would supply the highest grade
  that student got

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IF formulas

• IF formulas allow you to do useful tricks.
• E.g., in O4 you might type
• IF (N4lt50, Fail, Pass)
• which means if grade (as percentage) is less than
  50 the cell O4 will show the word Fail otherwise
  it will show Pass. Try it and see.

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Exploration

• If theres something else youd like to do,
  either
• 1. Ask a person with more experience to show you
  (and add in some other tricks if you have time to
  take them in), or
• 2. Explore the different items in the menus and
  tool bars (sometimes the help menu can help you,
  but asking a person is better)

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More complex spreadsheets

• Complexity in spreadsheets is less a matter of
  learning Excel commands than of what you want to
  calculate. Plan this on paper before you open
  the software (which I should have had you do in
  the thermostat exercise).

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(More complex powerpoint presentations)

• would explain everything in the preceding show
  using visual images, not simply text,
• and allow animations such as this on this slide
  (created using Menu option Slide show,
  animation, fly in).
• But more time is needed to compose such a
  presentation.