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Spreadsheets and Charts
A Beginner’s Guide
Presented by Dawn Bone
Calera High School
What is a Spreadsheet?
A spreadsheet ...

is an application software package

can store and manipulate large amounts of data

is an electronic version of a ledger

consists of a grid from columns and rows

is a computation tool

can accurately compute mathematical formulas

has the ability to create charts and graphs

can be used to create a tables
A spreadsheet is ...
the electronic version of a ledger.
It is a grid made from columns and rows.
The nice thing about using a spreadsheet is that you
can experiment with numbers without having to RE-DO
all of the calculations!
USES OF SPREADSHEETS
•Record Keeping
•Analyze data
•Forecasting - asking “what if” questions
Basics of a Spreadsheet

Spreadsheets are made up of



columns
rows
cells

COLUMNS…

COLUMNS go vertically - up and down.
They are defined by Letters which go
across the top of the grid.

ROWS…

ROWS go horizontally - left to right
Rows are defined by Numbers which
go down the left side of the grid.
CELL...
The CELL is the space where the
column and the row intersect.
B6
The CELL is named according to its
Column letter and Row number.
It is where the information is stored.

Types of Data 
Cells can contain four types of data.
LABEL - anything that is just text
ex. Title or Items or Cost
VALUE - any number
ex. 8 or 3.14 or -59.6
FORMULA - math equation
ex. =8*5 or =6+8/4
FUNCTION - built in formula
ex. =SUM(A1:A5)

LABELS

LABELS help us identify what the numbers stand for…
they help us understand the spreadsheet.
LABELS are text entries - they have no numerical value.

VALUES

Values are used to enter FIXED number data.
A value can be any kind of specific number:
currency, percent, decimal ...
# Working with VALUES #
When you are working with values, you must use the
appropriate symbols.
+
is the symbol for addition
-
is the symbol for subtraction
*
is the symbol for multiplication
/
is the symbol for division

FORMULAS

Formulas are equations that performs calculations.
All formulas MUST BEGIN with an equal sign (=).
A formula will be displayed on the screen as a
number, but the formula bar will show the
formula.

FUNCTIONS

Functions are built in equations that perform
calculations automatically
All function MUST BEGIN with an equal sign (=).
A function will be displayed on the screen as a
number, but the formula bar will show the
function.
FEATURES OF
SPREADSHEETS
•Variable column width - you can change the width of
columns
• Click on the line between columns and drag
• Go to Format, Column, Width
• Go to Format, Column, Autofit - adjusts column to
largest entry
•Automatic spill over
•only works on labels, not numbers
•Sorting
•Alphabetical and Numerical

Charts or Graphing
You can use the Chart Wizard
to help you make a chart or graph.
There are 16 types of charts you can choose
from. The type of chart you pick usually depends
on the data you are using!
Examples:
Pie charts
Bar graphs
Line graphs


Charts or Graphing
chart sheets – the chart exists on a separate sheet in the workbook
embedded charts – the chart exists as an object in the worksheet
alongside the data
legend – identifies each data series in the chart

ADVANTAGES OF
SPREADSHEETS
•Ability to store data and formulas
•Ability to recalculate
•Speed
•Accuracy
POPULAR SPREADSHEET
PACKAGES
•Microsoft Excel
•Quattro Pro
•Lotus 1-2-3
Axis
X axis – horizontal axis
Y axis – vertical axis