Introduction to Spreadsheets

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Introduction to Spreadsheets
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Spreadsheets were first developed by accountants.
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• Spreadsheets allow us to add organization to
  numeric data.
• Graphs allow people to visually see relationships
  and trends.
• A spreadsheet is not an oversized calculator!

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A Spreadsheet is a Set of Relationships

• For example, the price of a car depends on the
  price of steel, labor costs, taxes, tariffs,
  profits, incentives, etc.
• A spreadsheet keeps track of all these
  relationships.
• A spreadsheet does all the mathematical
  calculations for you.

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A Spreadsheet Answers Questions

• For example
• What happens to my business if the state raises
  sales tax another half percent?
• Based on last years checkbook, should I switch
  my checking account into an account that costs
  8.00 a year but pays 4 interest?

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• Spreadsheets help you answer What if?
  questions.
• You can change one piece of data and see the
  changes cascade through the rest of the
  information (recalculation).
• Spreadsheets give you the opportunity to look at
  options and make good decisions.

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A Spreadsheet is a One-Time Investment of Effort

• Once youve set up a good spreadsheet, you can
  use it over and over again.

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The Realities of Spreadsheets

• Spreadsheets are meant to be functionalnot
  pretty.
• Spreadsheets free you from tedious math, but they
  dont free you from the responsibility of knowing
  what your data represents.
• You need to know the formulas and functions to
  enter into cells.

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Spreadsheet Vocabulary

• A column is the vertical area of a spreadsheet.
  There are 256 columns lettered A-IV.
• A row is the horizontal area of the spreadsheet.
  There are over 16,000 numbered rows.
• A cell is the intersection of a column and row.

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Mathematical Operators in Spreadsheets

• Addition
• Subtraction -
• Multiplication
• Division /

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Formulas

• Formulas are equations that perform calculations
  on values in your worksheet.
• All formulas start with an equal sign ().
• For example, the following formula multiplies
  cell A1 by A2 and then adds A3 to the result
  A3(A1A2).
• Always use parentheses when there are multiple
  operations in a formula.
• Always use cell references when possible so your
  spreadsheet recalculates when you change numbers.

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Functions

• Functions are predefined formulas that perform
  calculations by using specific values in a
  particular order, or structure.
• Functions can be used to perform simple or
  complex calculations.
• Functions begin with and function name.
• Functions must have parentheses.

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Example Functions

• SUM(cellcell) totals a range of cells
• AVERAGE(cellcell) averages a range of cells
• MAX(cellcell) finds the high value in a
  range of cells
• MIN(cellcell) finds the low value in a
  range of cells
• COUNT(cellcell) counts the number of
  occupied cells in a range

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IF Functions

• IF(logical test,

value if true,
value if false)

• A logical test means true or false, yes or no.

• Value if true means what is done if the value is
  true.

• Value if false means what is done if the value is
  false.

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For example
)
IF(A10100,
SUM(B5B15),
If the value in cell A10 is 100,
then the logical test is true, and the total
value for the range B5B15 is calculated.
If logical test is false, empty text ( ) is
placed in the cell that contains the IF function.