2/26/22, 10:29 PM AIN2601-22-S1: Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

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Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

1     Introduction

In the
previous study
unit you were introduced to spreadsheets. We
looked at
what
a spreadsheet is, the various components and layouts of a
spreadsheet and some basics
of workbooks, formatting, printing and page layout.

By using spreadsheets as business applications, we can perform either simple or complex calculations to solve business and accounting problems.
To do this we can create different formulas and use various functions. These formulas and functions will be discussed
in this study unit.

2      Working with formulas

A formula in Microsoft Office Excel always

start
with
an = sign.

2.1  Common errors

when using formulas and functions

Once an error shows up in a cell, you have to

find
the cause of
the
error and edit the
worksheet in order to correct the error. Below are common
error displays found in Microsoft
Office Excel and
the
reasons for it:

#DIV/0!

This error occurs when the formula calls for division by a cell that either contains the value

0 or, as is more often the case, is empty. Division by zero is not possible according to mathematical principles.

#NAME?

This error
occurs
when Microsoft Office Excel does not recognise text in
a formula.

#NULL!

This error occurs most often when you insert a space where you should have used a comma to separate cell references
used as arguments for
functions.

#NUM!

This error occurs when Microsoft Office

Excel encounters a problem with a number in the formula, such as the wrong type of argument in a
Microsoft Office Excel function or a calculation that produces a
number too large or too small to be represented in the worksheet.

#REF!

This error occurs when Microsoft Office Excel encounters an

invalid cell reference, such
as when you delete a cell referred to in a formula or paste
cells over cells referred to in a formula.

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#VALUE!

This appears when you use the wrong type of argument in a function,
the
wrong type of operator or when you try to do a mathematical operation
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text entries.

 
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Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions
#N/A!

This error
occurs
when a value is not available to a function or
formula.

2.2  Entering
formulas

(a)   Adding, subtracting, dividing

and multiplying values

Computer activity 5.1

·       
Open a
new workbook/file.

·       
Rename worksheet “Sheet 1” as “Practice”.

·       
Click on
cell
A1
in worksheet “Practice”.

·       
Type the value 100 and Enter.

·       
Click on
cell
A2.

·       
Type the value 20
and Enter.

Add the two values together in cell A3. After

adding the two cells, the answer
will be displayed in cell A3.

·          
Click on
cell
A3
(chosen for the formula).

·          
Type = sign from the keyboard to begin
the
formula

·          
Type the first cell
reference (cell A1) by using the arrow key or by using the mouse to
click on the cell.

·          
Type the first operator ( + ).

·          
Type the next cell
reference (cell A2) by using the arrow key or using the mouse
to click on
the
cell.

·          
Press
Enter.

·          
The answer that appears is 120.

Repeat the above activity, but instead of adding

the two values, now subtract them from each other in cell A4, multiply the two values in cell A5
and divide the two values
by each other in cell A6.

This can be achieved by merely

changing the operator every time, but keeping
the
same format of operations – that is, using cell A1 as the first cell
reference and cell
A2
as the second cell
reference. The answer should look like this:

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(b)   Adding values

in two
separate worksheets

Computer activity 5.2

Note that the sheet name precedes the cell reference if the cell is not on the
current sheet (because every sheet has a cell A1, A2, A3, etc).

(c) 
 Combing
text and values
(&)

Using “&” will reflect the contents of the cells/value/text combined beside each other – for
example, =2000&100 will reflect as 2000100. Spaces
and other symbols can be added
by
inserting them in the formula using quotes – for example, =2000&“-”&100
will
reflect as 2000–100.

Computer activity 5.3

•    Rename
worksheet “Sheet3” as “Add”.

•    Type the following data in the worksheet:

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•    In cell C1, enter =A1&B1, and

in cell
C2,
enter =A2&B2.

– 
 Observe the results displayed in cell C1 (NissanHardbody) and in cell C2 (198512).

–   Note that using “&” in the formula in cell C2 did not sum the two values but displays the values beside each
other.

•    In cell C3, enter =A3&“ ”&B3, in cell C4, enter =A4&“-”&B4
and in cell C5, enter =19&A5&“ ”&B5.

–   Observe the results displayed in cell C3 (Toyota Corolla), in cell C4 (Ford-200) and in cell C5
(1981
Model)

–   Note that
using “ ” inserted a space in the displayed answer (C3 & C5),
while inserting “-” included a dash in the displayed answer
(C4).

•    Your
“Add” sheet should now appear
as follow:

2.3  Copying
formulas

(a)   Relative reference

Where the column and row reference of a cell reference in a formula changes when copied down
and/or across, the cell
address is referred to as
being a relative reference.

A formula or a function can be copied by using the steps in section 7 in study unit 4 or by doing the following:

·         
Click on
the
cell containing
the formula you want to copy.

·         
Position
your mouse pointer on the right-hand bottom corner of the cell until the mouse
turns to a black cross.

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·         
Click and drag the formula down or across to the cells to which you want to copy the formula and
release the mouse button.

   Copy down
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(over rows) in a spreadsheet, / reference
the cell’s row
Study Unitwill
increase
5: Spreadsheet formulas
by the numberand functions
of rows that the formula was
copied
down, for example:

·       
A formula =A1*B1 which copied down one row, will change to =A2*B2 – that is, cell A1 +
1row = cell A2 and cell B1 +
1row = cell B2.

·       
A formula =A1*B1, which copied down three rows, will change to =A4*B4 – that is, cell
A1 + 3rows =
cell A4 and cell B1 +
3rows = cell B4.

Computer activity 5.4

·  Enter the following data

in a spreadsheet:

·   
In cell D2, calculate the total price for shoes by entering the formula =B2*C2.

·   
Copy the formula in
cell
D2 to cells D3, D4 and D5.

What happened to the formula in cell D3? Is it still =B2*C2 or did it change?

–   The row reference in the cell reference increased by the number of rows
that the formula was copied down (ie 1). Cell B2 + 1row = cell B3 and
cell C2 +
1row = cell C3. The formula therefore changed from =B2*C2
to =B3*C3.

What happened to the formula in cell D5? Is it still =B2*C2 or did it change?

–   The row
reference in the cell reference increased by the number of rows
that
the formula was copied down (ie 3 rows). Cell B2 + 3rows = cell
B5 and cell C2 + 3rows = cell C5. The formula therefore changed from=B2*C2 to=B5*C5.

•    The answer should appear as follows:

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Copy across

When a formula is copied across (over columns) in a spreadsheet, the cell’s column
reference will increase by the number of columns that
the
formula was copied across. For example:

·       
A formula =A1+A2 copied across one column, will change to =B1+B2 – that is, cell A1+ 1column
= cell B1
and cell A2 + 1column
= cell B2.

·       
A formula
of =A1+A2 copied across three columns, will change to =D1+D2 – that is,
cell
A1 + 3columns
= cell D1 and cell A2 + 3columns
=
cell D2.

Computer activity 5.5

•    Enter the following data into a spreadsheet:

•    In cell B4, calculate

the
total for March by
entering the formula =B2+B3.

•    Copy the formula in

cell
B4
to cells C4, D4
and E4.

What happened with the formula in cell C4? Is it still =B2+B3 or did it change?

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–   The column reference in the cell reference increased by the number of

columns that the formula was copied across (ie 1). Cell B2 + 1column =
cell C2 and cell B3 + 1column = cell C3.
The formula therefore changed
from =B2+B3 to=C2+C3.

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What happened
with
 the formula in
cell E4? Is it still =B2+B3 or did it change?

 
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–   The column reference in the cell reference increased by the number of
columns that the formula was copied across (ie 3). Cell B2 + 3columns =
cell E2 and cell B3 + 3columns = cell E3. The formula therefore changed from =B2+B3 to =E2+E3.

•    The answer should appear as follows:

  

  
Copy across
and down

Computer activity 5.6

•    Enter the following data in a spreadsheet:

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•    Calculate the total sales per item by multiplying the number sold by the selling price of the item.

•    Calculate in cell B14 the total sales for shoes sold in January by entering
the
formula =B2*B8

•    Copy the formula in

cell
B14
to cells B15, B16 and B17.

What happened with the formula in cell B16? Is it still =B2*B8 or did it change?

–   The row reference in the cell reference increased by the number of rows
that the formula was copied down (ie 2). Cell B2 + 2rows
= cell B4 and
cell B8 + 2rows = cell B10. The formula therefore changed from =B2*B8
to
=B4*B10.

•    The answer should appear as follows:

•    Copy
the formula in
cell
B14
to cells C14
C15, C16 and C17.

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What happened with the formula in cell C14? Is

it still =B2*B8 or did it change?

 
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–   The column reference in the cell reference increased by the number of
columns that the formula was copied across (ie 1). Cell B2+1column =
cell C2 and cell B8 + 1column = cell C8. The formula therefore changed from =B2*B8 to             =C2*C8.
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What happened to the formula in cell C17? Is it still =B2*B8 or did it change?

–   Not only did the

column reference in the cell reference increase by the number of columns that the formula was copied across (ie 1), but the
row reference also increased by the number of rows that
the
formula that was copied down (ie 3). The formula therefore changed from =B2*B8 to
=C5*C11, that is:

◊ 
 cell B2
+ 1column +
3rows = C5

◊ 
 cell B8
+ 1column +
3rows = C11

•    The answer should appear as follows:

(b) 
 Absolute
reference

In contrast
to a relative reference (see section 2.3(a) in this study unit), the column and/
or row reference in an absolute reference is “fixed” and
does not change when a formula
is copied down and/or across. Inserting a dollar sign ($) in front of the row or/and column reference will make the
reference absolute. Inserting a $ in front of a column or a row will
ensure that the column or row reference is absolute (“fixed”) and will not change
when the formula is copied across or down. This is the same as using glue to permanently “glue” a
cell
reference. There are three types of absolute
references, as explained
below:

·       
Absolute row reference. Insert the $ in front of the row reference only (eg B$5). When copied, only the column reference (B) will change.
Because the row reference (5) is fixed, it
will not change.

·       
Absolute column reference. Insert the $ in front of the column reference only (eg $B5). When copied, only the row reference (5) will
change. Because the column reference (B)
is fixed, it will
not change.

·       
Absolute column AND row reference. Insert
the $ in front of both the column and row reference (eg $B$5). When
copied, both the column
reference (B) and the row
reference (5) will
not change because they are fixed.

The $ can be inserted by

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o  
Changing the formula to include the $

 
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o   Highlighting the cell reference in the formula/function and pressing the F4 function key
until the $ is displayed. Each time the F4
key is pressed,
it will change where the $ is
displayed – that is, in front of both the column and row reference, in front of the row reference only
or in front of the
column reference only.

Absolute
row reference (eg B$5)

Computer activity 5.7

•    Enter the following data in a spreadsheet:

•    Calculate the sales amount per month, including VAT by using the VAT %
provided. The formula will be entered once and copied to the rest
of
the cells. What formula would you enter in cell C4?

•    In cell C4 type = (B4*B1)+B4 –

that is, sales including VAT = (sales excluding

VAT x
VAT rate) + sales
excluding VAT.

•    Copy the formula in cell C4 to cell C5 and observe how the formula changes.

As explained in section 2.3(a) (copy down) in this study unit, relative row
references in a formula will increase by the number of rows that the
formula is copied down – that is, the formula will change from =(B4*B1)+B4 to

=(B5*B2)+B5.

– 
 However, we did not want cell reference B1 in the formula
to change to

B2 because
the
VAT % was entered in cell B1.

–   How do you think cell reference B1 should change to ensure (when it is

copied down) that
it still refers to cell B1 and will not change? The row
reference should be made absolute
(fixed) by
inserting
a $
sign in front of the row
reference (B$1).

•    Delete the formula copied

to cell C5.

•    In cell C4, change cell reference B1 to include the applicable absolute reference (ie =(B4*B$1)+B4).

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•    Now copy the new formula in cell C4 to range C5:C9 and observe how the formula changes.

What happened
with the formula in
cell
C6?
How
did it change?
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Study Unit (copy
explained in section
2.3(a) 5: Spreadsheet formulas and
down) of this
study unitfunctions
(B4 to
B6). However,
the
row reference in B$1 did not change because it was absolute/fixed. The
formula therefore changed from =(B4*B$1)+B4 to =(B6*B$1)+B6.

•    The answer should appear as follows:

Note: When the VAT rate was entered in the spreadsheet, it was 0.14, and the format of the cell changed to display a % format. The
format of
the numbers was changed to
a number
format
with
two decimals.
See
section
8.1(a) in study unit 4.

Absolute
column reference (eg $B5)

Computer activity 5.8

•    Enter the following data in a spreadsheet:

•    Calculate the sales amount per month, including VAT, by using the provided VAT %. The formula will be entered once and copied to the rest of
the cells. What formula would
you
enter in cell B5?

•    In cell B5 type =(B4*B1)+B4

•    Copy the formula to cell C5 and observe the change in the formula. As
explained in section 2.3(a) (copy across) in this study unit, relative
column
references in a formula
will increase by the
number of columns that the
formula is copied across, that is, the formula will change from =
(B4*B1)+B4 to =(C4*C1)+C4.

– 
 However, we did not want cell reference B1 in the formula, to change to
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2/26/22, 10:29 PM AIN2601-22-S1: Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

C1 because the VAT %

was only entered in cell B1.

–   How do you think cell reference B1 should change to ensure (when it is copied across) that
it still refers to cell B1 and will not change? The
column reference should be made absolute (fixed)
by inserting a $ sign
in front of the column reference ($B1).

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•    Delete the formula you

have copied to cell
C5.
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•    In cell B5, change cell reference B1 to include the applicable absolute reference
(ie to =(B4*$B1)+B4).

•    Now copy the formula to range C5:H5 and observe how the formula changes.

What happened
with the formula in
cell
E5? How did it change?

– The column reference of the relative cell references changed as

explained in section 2.3(a) (copy across) in this study unit (B4 to E4). However, the
column reference in
$B1
did
not change because it
was absolute/fixed.
The
formula therefore changed
from =(B4*$B1)+B4 to =(E4*$B1)+E4

•    The answer should appear as follows:

 Absolute
column and row
references (eg $B$5)

Computer activity 5.9

•    Enter the following data in a spreadsheet:

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•    Calculate the sales amount per month, including VAT, by using the provided VAT %. The formula will be entered once and copied to the rest of
the cells. What formula would
you
enter?

•    In cell B12, type =(B4*B1)+B4.

•    Copy the formula to cell D15 and

observe how the formula changes. As explained in section 2.3(a)
(copy across & down) in this study unit,
relative
column and row references in a formula will increase by the number of columns/rows copied across/down. The formula will change from =
(B4*B1)+B4 to =(D7*D4)+D7.

– 
 However, we did not want cell reference B1 in the formula, to change to

D4 because the VAT %

was entered in cell
B1.

–   How do you think cell reference B1 should change to ensure (when it is

copied across and down) that it still refers to cell B1 and will not
change?
The column and the row reference should be made absolute (fixed) by inserting a $ sign
in front of the column and row reference ($B$1).

•    Delete the formula you

copied to cell
D15.

•    In cell B12, change cells reference B1 to include the applicable absolute references (ie =(B4*$B$1)+B4).

•    Now copy the formula to range B13:B16 and range C12:E16 and observe how the formula changes.

What happened
with the formula in
cell
D15? How did
it change?

–   The column and row references of the relative cell references changed
as explained in 2.3(a) (copy across & down) in this study unit (B4 to D7).
However, the column and row reference in $B$1 did not change because it was absolute/fixed. The formula therefore changed from =
(B4*$B$1)+B4 to =(D7*$B$1)+D7.

•    The answer should appear as follows:

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3      Functions

A function is a short cut to make calculations easier and quicker. Functions should
always

be used if they are available – for example, adding 20 cells together by =A1+A2+A3…

+A20 compared to =SUM(A1:A20).

3.1
 Structure
of a function

A function
ALWAYS begins
with
an equal sign (=),
followed by the function name,
the
opening parenthesis, the arguments for the function,
separated by commas, and the closing
parenthesis.

Arguments are the information needed by the function in order to calculate the function correctly.

We will now break down the following examples in the above-mentioned structure:

=SUM(cell1:cell2)

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=PMT(rate,nper,pv,fv,type)

   

=IF(Logical_test,value_if_true,value_if_false)

  

3.2       Reference
operators: when to use : or ,

(a) 
 Colon :

A colon ( : ) is used to select all the cells from and including the first cell reference to and including the last cell reference
simultaneously. Range
A1:A9 will therefore include all the cells from and including A1 to A9
(see
the
highlighted cells
below).

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(b)   Comma ,

A comma ( , ) is used if you wish to select specified cells, and it is placed between each cell reference. A1,A4,A6 will therefore only include/select
only cells A1, A4 and A6 (see the highlighted cells
below).

NB!! A comma is also

 used
 to separate
 the
 arguments  of a function  – for example,

=IF(condition,value_if_true,value_if_false).

(c) 
 Combining
a colon
: and a comma ,

A comma (,) and a colon ( can be combined. This is used when combining
two different
ranges. For example, A1:A3,A6:A8 will select/include
cells A1, A2, A3, A6, A7 and A8 (see the highlighted cells
below).

3.3  Inserting
a function

Excel has a large

variety of commonly used functions to help perform a large variety of
calculations in a number of different disciplines such as:
Mathematical,
Statistical, Financial, Engineering etc.

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Computer activity 5.10

There are two options to access the

functions database from Microsoft Office Excel
MENU 
 

Dashboard
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Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

·     
Click on
the
Formulas tab.

·     
Click on
the
fx Insert function icon.

·     
The “Insert
Function” window will appear to
select the desired function.

·     
At “Or select a category”
drop-down menu choose
All OR the desired discipline category (Example: Financial
– if you wish to perform
financial calculations).

4      Commonly
used functions

The following are some examples of applications commonly used functions in

the financial environment:

(a)   
MATHEMATICAL FUNCTIONS

Bear in
mind that cell1 (number1) refers to the first cell in the range and cell2 (number2) to the last cell in the range – that is, A1:A9 being all cells
in the range A1 to A9; and cell11,
cell12, cell13 refer to selected cells – that is, A1,A4,A6 being specific cells A1, A4 and
A6. See section 3.2 in this
study unit for an explanation of the difference between using
a comma
and a colon.

 
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2/26/22, 10:29 PM AIN2601-22-S1: Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

SUM

This function adds

values in individual cells
or cell ranges together.
MENU 
 

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Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions
=SUM(cell1:cell2)

Adds all the values in a specifi ed range of cells

=SUM(cell11,cell12,cell13)

Adds all the values for specifi ed cells

Computer activity 5.11

•    Create
a worksheet and enter the following data:

·     
In cell B14, calculate the total number
of T-shirts for all the types of T-shirts.

·      In cell B16, calculate the total number

of T-shirts for the swimming, netball and hockey T-shirts only.

·      In cell B18, calculate the total number

of T-shirts for the rugby, swimming,
cricket,
hockey
and athletic T-shirts only.

·      The answer should appear as follows:

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2/26/22, 10:29 PM AIN2601-22-S1: Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

ROUND

This function rounds

the value in the specified
cell
to the specified number of digits.
MENU 
 

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Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions
 =ROUND(cell1,number_of_digits)

Cell1 refers to cell that will be rounded. Number_of_digits refers to the number of digits the answer
should be rounded to.

Computer activity 5.12

•    Use
the
data entered in activity 5.11.

•    In column C, divide the number of T-shirts for soccer, swimming,

basketball

and table
tennis by
3.

•    Using the round function, in column D round the answer, calculated in column

C, as follows:

– 
 round soccer T-shirts to 1
digit

– 
 round swimming T-shirts to 2 digits

– 
 round basketball T-shirts to 3
digits

– 
 round table tennis T-shirts to 4 digits

•    The answer should appear as follows:

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2/26/22, 10:29 PM AIN2601-22-S1: Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

It is not always necessary to round the answer of a cell in a separate cell. The round function can
be used with a formula in
a cell:
=ROUND(formula,number_of_digits)

  MENU 

•  Formula
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Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions
   Formula refers to the formula you want to calculate.

•  Number of digits

   Numbber_of_digits refers to the number of digits the answer

should be rounded to.

Computer activity 5.13

•    Use
the
data entered in activity 5.12.

•    Delete the formulas and functions entered in columns C and D.

•    In column C, divide the number of T-shirts for soccer, swimming,

basketball

and table
tennis by
3 and round the answer
of the formula as
follows:

– 
 round soccer T-shirts to 1
digit

– 
 round swimming T-shirts to 2 digits

– 
 round basketball T-shirts to 3
digits

– 
 round table tennis T-shirts to 4 digits

•    The answer should appear as follows:

(b)  
STATISTICAL
FUNCTIONS

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Bear in
mind
that cell1 refers to the first cell in
the range, cell2 to
the last cell in the range and cell11, cell12, cell13 to selected
cells. See section 3.2
in this study unit for
an explanation of the difference between using a comma and a colon.

MENU 
AVERAGE

 
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Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions
This function calculates the average value
for
the specified cells or
ranges.

=AVERAGE(cell1:cell2)

calculates the average of the values in a

specifi ed range of cells.

=AVERAGE(cell11,cell12,cell13)

calculates the average of

the values for specifi ed cells.

  Computer activity 5.14

•    Use
the
data entered in activity 5.11

•    Delete the formulas in cells B14, B16, B18.

•    In cell B14, calculate the average number of T-shirts for all the types of

T-shirts.

•    In cell B16, calculate the average of T-shirts for the swimming, netball and

hockey T-shirts only.

•    In cell B18, calculate the average of T-shirts for the rugby, swimming, cricket,
hockey and athletic T-shirts only.

•    The answer should appear as follows:

MAXIMUM

This function is used to identify the maximum value in a

range of cells or
in specified cells.

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2/26/22, 10:29 PM AIN2601-22-S1: Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

=MAX(cell1:cell2)

determines the largest value in a specifi ed range of cells.

MENU 
 

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Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions
=MAX(cell11,cell12,cell13)

determines the largest

value for specifi ed cells.

Computer activity 5.15                                  

•    Use
the
data entered in activity 5.11.

•    Delete the formulas in cells B14, B16, B18.

•    In cell B14, calculate the largest number of T-shirts available for all the types of T-shirts.

•    In cell B16, calculate the highest number of T-shirts available for the

swimming, netball
and hockey
T-shirts only.

•    In cell B18, calculate the greatest number of T-shirts available

for the rugby,
swimming,
cricket,
hockey and
athletic T-shirts only.

•    The answer should appear as follows:

MINIMUM

This function is used to identify the minimum value in a range

of cells or
in specified cells.

=MIN(cell1:cell2)

determines the smallest value in a specified

range of cells.

=MIN(cell11,cell12,cell13)

determines the smallest value for specified cells.

Computer activity 5.16

•    Use
the
data entered in activity 5.11.

•    Delete the formulas in cells B14, B16, B18.

•    In cell B14, calculate the smallest number of T-shirts available for all the types of T-shirts.

•    In cell B16, calculate

the lowest number of T-shirts available  for the

swimming, netball
and hockey
T-shirts only.

•    In cell B18, calculate the least number of T-shirts available for the rugby, swimming, cricket, hockey and athletic T-shirts only.

•    The answer should appear as follows:

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2/26/22, 10:29 PM AIN2601-22-S1: Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

MENU 

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Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

(c)   
FINANCIAL FUNCTIONS

For all
the
functions mentioned below, the following definitions apply:

rate = the interest rate used

nper = the applicable period

pmt = the payment/instalment amount

fv = future value

pv = present value

type = 1
if the instalment is
paid at the beginning
of the month

type = 0
if the instalment is
paid at the end of
the month

Always ensure that the payment period, interest rate period and the applicable period
are all have same period/denominator. Remember, you
should be comparing apples with apples, and not apples with oranges.

Example

If, in the case study, you are given the information in different periods, you must first
convert it.

•  Payment is an instalment per month, the interest rate is a % per annum and the period
is in
years.

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2/26/22, 10:29 PM AIN2601-22-S1: Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

•  Because the payment period is in months, you will need to convert the current yearly
interest rate to a
monthly interest rate by dividing
the
yearly interest rate by 12.

•  Because the payment period is in months, you will also need to convert the applicable period currently in years to a number of months by
multiplying the period in years by 12.
MENU 
 
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Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions
Note that for activities 5.17 to 5.20, the interest rate should
be entered in the spreadsheet as 0.14 and formatted to display
as 14%. See section
8.1(a) in
study unit 4.

NOTE

Using financial functions available (that is present value, future value and payment), interest
rate will be based on
the
number of periods used
in
the function.

CALCULATION
OF PAYMENTS

=PMT(rate,nper,pv,fv,type)

Calculates
the payment for a loan based on constant payments and a constant interest rate.

Computer activity 5.17

•    You want to buy

a car for R50 000. Enter the present value in cell B3.

•    The bank can finance your car

purchase at constant interest rate of
14% per annum over 5 years. Enter the interest rate in cell B4 and finance
term (period) in cell B5

•    Use the =PMT function and calculate the monthly payment you need to
make to the bank at
the end of each
month.

– 
 Enter the following formula in
cell
B7: =PMT(B4/12,B5*12,B3,0,0)

  

•    The answer should appear as follows:

Note: Because an instalment/payment is regarded as an outflow of cash, it is shown

as a negative value.

Computer activity 5.17 

•    Use
the
same information as
in activity
5.17

•    Calculate the monthly amount payable to the bank if you pay the amount at the
beginning
of the month (ie
you
pay in advance).

– 
 Enter the following formula in
cell
B7: =PMT(B4/12,B5*12,B3,0,1)

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2/26/22, 10:29 PM AIN2601-22-S1: Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

  

 
MENU 
CALCULATION OF
FUTURE VALUES

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=FV(rate,nper,pmt,pv,type)

Returns the future value of an investment based on constant payments and a constant interest rate.

Computer activity 5.19

•    You want to save R500 at the end of each month

for 5 years and the bank is prepared
to give you a constant interest rate of 14% per annum.
Enter the investment
amount
(R500) in cell B3, the investment rate (14%)
in cell B4 and the period
(5) in cell B5.

•    Use the =FV function and calculate what the value of your savings will be after five
years.

– 
 Enter the following formula in
cell
B7: =FV(B4/12,B5*12,B3,0,0)

•    The answer should appear as follows:

CALCULATION OF
PRESENT VALUE
S

=PV(rate,nper,pmt,fv,type)

returns the present value of an investment –

the total amount that a series of total payments is worth today at a constant interest rate and
over
a
constant period.

Computer activity 5.20

•    At the end of

each month, you have R500 that you can use to pay off a loan
to the bank. The bank offers you a constant interest rate of 14%
per annum
over 60 months. Enter the payment in cell B3, the interest rate in cell B4
and the period
in cell
B5.

•    Use the =PV function and

calculate what amount you can borrow from the
bank.

– 
 Enter the following formula in
cell
B7: =PV(B4/12,B5*12,B3,0,0)

•    The answer should appear as follows:

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2/26/22, 10:29 PM AIN2601-22-S1: Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

(d)  
LOGICAL FUCTIONS

=IF(logical_test,value_if_true,value_if_false)
MENU 
returns one value if the specified logical test evaluates to be TRUE and another value if
the
specified logical test evaluates to be
FALSE.

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Logical_test:

A logical test is any value or expression that can be evaluated as either TRUE or FALSE. For example, A1<1000 is a logical test; if A is equal to 500,
then the expression evaluates as TRUE, but if A is equal to 2000, then the expression will evaluate as FALSE. A logical test can evaluate against
text
(eg A1=“yes”), a value (eg A1<1000), another cell (eg A1>=B2)
or a formula (eg C5=(A2*B2) ).

A logical test usually consists

of three parts:
(1)   a cell reference, say, A1

(2) 
 a comparison calculation operator, that is, less than (<); greater than or equal to

(>=); less
than
or equal to (<=); not equal to (<>); and equal to(=)

(3)   a value, text, cell reference or formula against which to evaluate the cell reference in part (1) – for example, 10000, “YES”,
B6
or (B5*B6).
Note when using text, that it should
be in quotes (“ “) and that it is case sensitive (“ABC” and “abc” is, after all, not
exactly the same).

Value_if_true:

Which value should be displayed in the cell if the logical test is evaluated as TRUE (the value
that
is returned if the logical_test is TRUE)?

The value can

either be:

·       
Text (eg “Yes”, “Open”, etc). Note that text should always be in quotes (“ “) and is case
sensitive.

·       
A value
(eg 1000.00 or 15090.23). Note that the value does not have any spaces, commas or
currency
and that a full stop (.) is
used to
indicate decimals.

·       
Refer to a
cell reference within the worksheet (eg
B5 or E18)

·       
A calculation (eg B5*C7 or
B5+30
or A10*0.14)

Value_if_false:

Which
value should be displayed in the cell if the logical test is evaluated as FALSE (the value
that
is returned if the logical_test is FALSE)?

The value can

either be:

·    
Text (eg “close”, “new”, etc). Note that text should always be in quotes (“ “) and is case
sensitive.

·    
A value
(eg 56789.23 or 9874563). Note that the value does not have any spaces, commas or
currency
and that a full stop (.) is
used to
indicate decimals.

·    
Refer to a
cell reference (eg G3 or J50)

·     A calculation (eg A5-B7 or

D5/30 or
C10*0.02)

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2/26/22, 10:29 PM AIN2601-22-S1: Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

Computer activity 5.21

•    You have invited a few friends and their children to a soccer match. The soccer tickets are R30 per adult and R15 per child. You
also want to
MENU
invite the persons
 21 years and older to an after party. The cost of the after party
is R100
per person.

•    You want to determine the following:

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Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions
 

– 
 the total cost and
cost per
person for the soccer
tickets only

–   who you wish to invite to the after party, indicated with “Invite”, and who
you
do not wish to invite, indicated with “Don’t invite”

–   the total cost and

total cost per person
including the after party and
the soccer tickets costs

•    NOTE THAT ALL FORMULAS WILL ONLY BE ENTERED IN THE FIRST
CELL
AND COPIED DOWN TO THE FOLLOWING CELLS.

•    Please save this file as “Activity 5.21” because it will be used in a
subsequent
activity.

•    Enter the following data in a spreadsheet:

•    What will the formula in cell D9 be

to determine the correct soccer ticket price? Remember that you will copy the formula to
the rows below.

•    Enter the following formula in cell D9 and copy to range D10:D18.       See what
happens. Does the formula give
you
the
desired result for each
of the cells?

=IF(B9=“Adult”,B$4,B$5)

•    Delete the formula entered in range

D9:D18.

•    Enter the following formula in cell D9

and copy it to
range D10:D18.

=IF(B9=“Child”,B$5,B$4)

•    See what happens. Does the formula give you the desired result? Is the
result different from the previous formula entered or is the result the
same?

Bear in mind that there is usually

more than one logical test that can apply
in IF functions, and the true and false value will depend on your logical
test.

•    What will the formula in cell E9 be? Take into account that you will copy the formula to the rows below.

•    Enter the formula below in cell E9 and copy it to range E10:E18.      

     See what

happens. Does the formula give
you
the
desired result?

=IF(C9>=21,“Invite”,“Don’t invite”)

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•    Delete the formula entered in range

E9:E18.

•    Enter the following formula in cell E9 and copy

it to range E10:E18.
MENU 
 

Dashboard / invite”,“Invite”)
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•    See what happens. Does the formula give you the desired result? Is the
result different from the previous
formula entered or
is it the same?

As explained previously, more than one logical test can usually apply in

IF functions and
the
true and false value will
depend on your logical test.

•    What will the formula

in cell F9 be? Take into
account the fact that you will copy
the
formula to the rows below.

•    Enter the formula below in cell F9 and copy it to range F10:F18. See what happens.
Does
the
formula give you the desired result?

=IF(E9=“Invite”,D9+B$6,D9)

  

•    Delete the formula entered in range

F9:F18.

•    Enter the following formula in cell F9 and copy

it to range F10:F18.

=IF(E9=“Don’t invite”,D9,D9+B$6)

•    Please save this file as “Activity 5.21” because it will be used in a subsequent activity.

•    The results

of activity 5.21

NOTE: MICROSOFT  EXCEL WILL ALWAYS

DISPLAY IN A CELL THE FINAL ANSWER(S)/VALUE(S) ON YOUR WORKSHEET PROVIDED
THAT YOUR
FORMULA IS CORRECT AND VALID, BUT SHOULD YOU WISH TO DISPLAY THE
FORMULAS BEHIND YOUR FINAL ANSWERS (as per below) YOU
NEED TO:  Click on: Formulas tab/Show formulas
(under Formula Auditing ribbon group)

To check a formula/function of
each cell at a time, click on the cell containing the formula/function and press F2. This will indicate which cells are
used in your formula/function because Excel then highlights the various cells used
in colour.

COUNTIF

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2/26/22, 10:29 PM AIN2601-22-S1: Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

=COUNTIF(range,criteria)

This function counts the number of cells within

a range that meet a single criteria as specified by you. For example, you can
count all the cells with
a MENU
certain number
 or word contained in it.

 
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Range:

A continuous
range of cells for which you want to count the data. The range will have a
start cell reference and an end cell reference ie cell1:cell5.

Criteria:

A condition that must be met in order

for the cell to be counted eg “Text A” or 500

In this study
guide we will only explain using a =countif using basic criteria. The criteria
will either be a fixed amount or specific text. Please refer to
Excel Help if
you want to use a more advanced condition such as a number that is greater or less than
another number.

Computer activity 15.22

·   
Create a worksheet and enter the following data:

·     In cell B17, calculate number of Model

A vehicles in stock

·     In cell B18, calculate number of Model

D vehicle in stock

·   
 In cell B19, calculate
number of 2007 vehicle in stock

·   
 Your answer should be as follows

(e)   
TEXT FUNCTIONS

Cell refers to the cell to which

you
want this function to apply.

Also note
that
a character is defined
as text, number, symbols and spaces.

LEFT 
FUNCTION

=LEFT(cell,num_chars)

This function returns a specified number of characters (num_chars) from the start (left-
hand side) of the text.

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Computer activity 5.23

•    Create
a new worksheet.
MENU 
•    Enter the word
FUNCTION in cell A3.

Dashboard
•    In / My
cell B3 enter thecourses
function/ =left(A3,3).

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•    The answer returned in cell B3 would be the first 3 characters of the word

(ie FUN).

     Formula logic = From the given word, start from left and return the first 3 characters of the given word.

Computer activity 5.24

•    Use
the
same worksheet as in activity 5.23.

•    Enter the characters “F*U NCT+I  ON”

in cell A4.

•    In cell B4 enter the function =left(A4,5).

•    The answer returned in cell B4 will be the first 5 characters of the word (ie F*U N). Note that the space between the “U” and “N” is counted as a
character.

Formula logic = From the given word, start from left

and return the first 5 characters of
the given word.

MID FUNCTION

=MID(cell,start_num,num_chars)

This function returns a specified number of characters from the middle of a text string given a starting position (start_num) and the length
specified
(num_chars).

Computer activity 5.25

•    Use
the
same worksheet as in activity 5.23.

•    In cell C3
enter the function =mid(A3,4,3).

•    The answer returned in cell C3

will be “CTI”.

Formula logic = From the given word, start from the

middle of the word (mid) but specifically from character 4 and from then, return the 3
characters of the given word

Computer activity 5.26                                             

•    Use
the
same worksheet as in activity 5.23.

•    In cell C4
enter the function =mid(A4,7,5).

•    The answer returned in cell C4 would be “T+I O”. Note that the space between
the
“U” and “N” and the “I” and “O” is
counted as a character.

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2/26/22, 10:29 PM AIN2601-22-S1: Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

RIGHT FUNCTION

MENU 
=RIGHT(cell,num_chars)

 
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This function returns a
specified number
of characters (num_chars) from the end
(right-
hand side) of the text.

Computer activity 5.27

•    Use
the
same worksheet as in activity 5.23.

•    In cell D3 enter the function =right(A3,3).

•    The answer returned in cell D3 will

be “ION”.

Formula logic = From the given word, start from right

and return the 3 characters of the
given word from the right

Computer activity 5.28

•    Use
the
same worksheet as in activity 5.23.

•    In cell D4
enter the function =right(A4,5).

•    The answer returned in cell D4 will be “+I ON”. Note that the space between
the
“I” and “O” is
counted as a character.

•    The results

of activities 5.23 to 5.28 should appear
as follow:

(f)    
 LOOKUP FUNCTIONS

    

=VLOOKUP(lookup_value,table_array,col_index_num,range_lookup)

This function searches for a value in the leftmost (first) column of a range of cells, and returns a
value in the same row from a
column
you
specify.

Lookup_value

This is the value you want to search in the first column of the table_array (see table array below). Lookup_value can be a value, a cell reference or
text. VLOOKUP returns the #N/A
error value where the lookup_value is smaller than the smallest
value in the first column of table_array.

Table_array

This range of cells (two or

more columns) contains the
data you want
to look up. The lookup_value searches the values in the first column of the
table_array. The values in the first column of table_array can be text, numbers or values – upper-case and lower-case text are
equivalent.

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·     
If the range lookup is set
as TRUE then the
table_array must be sorted
in ascending order based on the first column. See section 5.1 in this
study unit on how to sort data.

MENU
·      If range_lookup
 is set as FALSE, the table_array lookup value should be unique

(primary
key).
Dashboard / My courses /
AIN2601-22-S1 /
Part 2: SPREADSHEET /
Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions
·     
The data in the first column of table_array should not contain leading spaces, trailing spaces, inconsistent use of quotation marks or non-
printing characters because vlookup may
return an incorrect or
unexpected value.

·     
When searching for number or data values make sure the data in the first column of
table_array is not stored as text but
as values.

Col_index_num

This is
the column number in table_array (refer to table_array above) from which the matching value should be returned. The number 1 will return
the value in the first column of
the table_array, while
2 will return the value
in the second column of
the table_array.

·      VLOOKUP will return a

#VALUE! error if the col_index_num is less than 1.

·     
VLOOKUP will return a #REF! error if the col_index_num is greater than the number
of columns in table_array.

Range_lookup

This specifies whether you want VLOOKUP to find

an exact or
an approximate match.

·     
When set as TRUE, an exact or approximate match is returned – that is, if an exact
match is not found, the next largest value
that
is less than
lookup_value is returned.

·     
When set as FALSE,
an exact match is found and the error value #N/A is returned if no match
is found. If there is more than 1 value in the first
table_array that matches
the
lookup_value, then the
first value
that
is found is used.

Always use
FALSE unless
you
have a good reason
to do otherwise.

VLOOKUP means that

Microsoft Office Excel will
go vertically down a list until it finds the value it is looking for,
then
jump right to the appropriate
column and return that information.

Computer activity 5.29

•    Create
a new worksheet.

•    Enter the following data in the worksheet:

•          You want to create one list with both the exam
marks and final marks beside each student’s name. You have decided to reflect
the exam
marks beside the assignment marks but you do not want to go and find
each student’s exam mark manually and then type it beside the
assignment marks.
You also know that the student number is unique to each student and reflected
in both sets of data. How can you do this?

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•    You can

use the VLOOKUP. What formula would you enter?

•    In cell D3 enter =VLOOKUP(A3,A$15:C$23,3,FALSE).

 
MENU 
·       
Copy the formula in
cell
D3 to range D4:D11.

Dashboard / My to
·       
Manually
check courses /
AIN2601-22-S1
see if the formula gave the/ correct

Part 2: exam
SPREADSHEET /
Study Unit
mark to the
correct 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions
student.

o  
Why was the student name not used as the lookup_value? The reason
is that
there may be more than one student with the same name and
because
the
student name in the two lists are not EXACTLY the same.

o  
Why was absolute references used for the table_array, but not for the
lookup_value?

o  
Why was
range_lookup
specified?

•    The results

should appear as follow:

Computer activity 5.30

•    Create
a new worksheet.

•    You have calculated the taxable income for a number of friends and now
want to determine their applicable
“Fixed tax amount” and “Tax
rate”.

•    You have created the following spreadsheet with each person’s taxable income as well as the tax table. Enter the following data
in the
worksheet:

•    You do not want to look up each person’s fixed tax amount and tax rate individually but want to use a Microsoft Office Excel formula. Which
formula
would you enter in cell C3? You would copy this formula to the rows below.

•    In cell C3
enter =VLOOKUP(B3,A$16:D$21,3,TRUE).

•    In cell D3 enter =VLOOKUP(B3,A$16:D$21,4,TRUE).

•    Copy the formula in C3 to range C4:C11 and copy the formula in D3 to range D4:D11.

•    The results

should appear as follows:

                        

5      WORKING WITH DATA

5.1
 Sorting
data

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Sorting data is a great tool to present your information neatly and logically or to analyse data. You can use it to put a list of
names in alphabetical
order, arrange amounts from highest to lowest or from biggest to smallest or arrange dates from earliest to latest. You
can
either sort the data in
ascending order (going up/lowest to the highest) or descending order (going down/highest to lowest). You can also sort the data based on sorting
criteria
for
more than one column.
MENU 
 

Make sure you select

Dashboard / My the whole
courses / range you want to/ sort

AIN2601-22-S1
Partand not only the column
2: SPREADSHEET on Unit
/
Study which
5: you want to base
Spreadsheet the sort.
formulas and The
data
in
functions the other
columns beside the particular column will
not follow the sort if
you
only select the column
on which you want to base the sort.

Computer activity 5.31

•    Use
the
completed spreadsheet in activity
5.21

•    We first want to sort the adult and child indicator per column B so that all the children are reflected first. At
the
same time, we also want to sort
the
ages for each group (column
C) from youngest to oldest.

•    Select
range
A8:F18.

•    Click on
the
Data tab on the Ribbon.

•    In the Sort & Filter ribbon group, click on

the Sort icon.

•    This will open

the
following Sort dialog
box:

·      Ensure
that the My data has headers box has been ticked (otherwise
the headers will be sorted inside
the
data).

·      Click on the arrow in the Sort by dialog box and select Adult/child from the
drop-down
menu.

·      Click on the arrow in the Sort on dialog box and select Values from the drop-down
menu.

·      Click on the arrow in the Order dialog box and select Z to A from the drop- down
menu.

Should you wish to further sort your

data based on further criteria.

•    Click on  Add Level to add another sort criteria (you can add as many as
you
need).

•    Click on the arrow in the Then by dialog box and select Age from the drop-
down menu.

•    Click on the arrow in the Sort on dialog box (in the Then by row) and select

Values from the drop-down menu.

•    Click on
the
arrow in the Order
dialog box (in the Then by row)
and select

Smallest to
Largest
from the drop-down menu.

·         
Your complete selection will
appear as follows:

·    
Click OK
to apply the selected sorting criteria
to your data

•    The result of

the sort will appear
as follows:

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5.2
 Filter data

Filtering data allows you to

display only the rows that meet your specified criteria and to
hide
the rows you do not want displayed. You can also
MENU
filter by more
 than one column, but remember that filters are additive, which means each additional filter is based on
the current filter, and further
reduces the subset of data. The filter will only apply to the selected data
range. You can copy, find, edit, format, chart and print the subset of
filtered data without
rearranging
Dashboard or moving it. You/ can
/ My courses /
AIN2601-22-S1 only

Part filter by a list values,
2: SPREADSHEET a format
/
Study Unit 5:orSpreadsheet
criteria. However,
each
of these filters is mutually
formulas and functions
exclusive. You can, for example, filter by font colour or by
a list of numbers, but
not both.

Computer activity 5.32

•    Use
the
completed spreadsheet of activity
5.21.

•    Select
range
A8:F18.

•    Click on
the
Data tab.

•    In the Sort & Filter group, click on

the Filter
icon.

•    This will

create drop-down arrows
next to each column heading.

•    Only the rows with “Don’t invite” in that column are displayed and they will
appear as follows:

•    Did
you
notice
the
following:

–   The filter icon is displayed on the drop-down arrow next to “Invite to after
party”. This indicates that a filter
is applied on that column.

– The row reference displayed seems to be missing rows, that is, only rows 1 to 8, 11 to 13 and 15 to 18 are displayed. The applied filter did not
delete rows 9, 10
and 14 but only hid them from view.

•    We now only want to display all the persons who were not invited but who are younger than 10. To do
this
we will apply an additional filter.

•    Click on
the
drop-down
arrow next to “Age” and select
Number Filters.

•    In the drop-down

menu select  Less
Than… .

•    This will open

the
Custom AutoFilter dialog box.

•    Click on the box to the

right of is less than and
either type 10 or select
10 from the drop-down menu.

•    Click OK
to action the filter.

•    Only the rows with “Don’t invite” in column E and where the person’s age (column C) is less than 10 are displayed and the rest of the rows are
hidden.
The
spreadsheet will
appear as follows:

•    Did
you
notice
the
following?

–   The filter icon is displayed on the drop-down arrow next to “Invite to after party” and “Age”.
The
filter icon indicates that
a filter has been
applied
on that column.

– 
 The row reference displayed seems to be missing rows – that is, rows

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1–8, 13, 15, 16, but not the other rows, are displayed. The applied filters
did not delete the other rows
but only hid them.

•    To remove a filter from a particular column, click on the applicable column’s drop-down arrow and tick next to (Select All). You can also
MENUthe
change filter
by
clicking on the applicable column’s drop-down arrow and selecting the
new filter you want to apply.

 
Dashboard / My courses /
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Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions
 

•    To remove all filters in total from the data range

follow the following steps:

– 
 Select the data
range that was filtered.

– 
 Click
on the Data
tab.

–  In the Sort & Filter group, click on the Filter icon to deselect the filter
option.

6      WORKING WITH CHARTS

Charts are visual/graphical representations of data and are useful in helping to understand and interpret the data presented. Charts sometimes
make it is easier to identify trends in
data.

Bear in mind that the people looking at a chart do not have the underlying data in front of them, so it is vital to ensure that the following are
always
included in a chart:

·       
A chart title. The title of your chart needs to
be descriptive and indicate what
your
chart is all about.

·       
Primary Horizontal axis title. This is a short description of the categories on the horizontal
axis.

·       
Primary Vertical axis title. This is
a short description of the values on the vertical axis.

·       
Legend. This indicates what colour
represents which particular data
series.

6.1
Creating a graph and a chart

To create a chart, follow the steps below.

Computer activity 5.33 – Creating a Graph

•    Create
the
following data in a new
Workbook
file
on Sheet1:

–   “Total sales R (Actual)” is calculated as the applicable number of “Items sold

(Actual)” *
R150.

–   “Total sales R (Budget)” is calculated as the applicable number

of “Items sold (Budget)” * R100.

•    Save the Workbook file as “GRAPH”.

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Excel is very particular when a data range is selected. The range SHOULD be selected correctly the first time. For example, in this activity,
do not move your
mouse
pointer
over
column
D and then back
to column C.

MENU 
·       
Select range A3:E10

·       
While the above-mentioned range
is selected:
Dashboard / My courses /
AIN2601-22-S1 /
Part 2: SPREADSHEET /
Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions
 

o  Click
on the Insert tab.

o  In the
Charts ribbon group, click on
the dialog box launcher (the arrow
at the bottom left corner) to launch the “Insert
Chart” window.

o  In the “All Charts” tab, select the third option “Column” – Here you have a number of options to choose from.
(Hovering with your mouse
pointer over the different chart icons will make the
description of the icon appear).

o  Within the “Column” options, select the

first option “Clustered Column”,
again you have a number or options available to you (see the top of
the “Insert
Chart” screen).

o  The “Insert Chart” window, gives you a

preview of what your final chart will look like.

o  Select the first potion under Clustered Column and then click
on OK to apply the selected options.
(If you click on Cancel the creating
of the
chart will be cancelled).

·       
You will
notice that the graph inserted into your worksheet is a basic chart with only a
chart title and legend, without any axis titles. You are
going to update the
graph to be more user-friendly.

·       
Click
anywhere on the graph. You will notice that a new tab is now available on the
ribbon: Chart
Tools. The Chart Tools will add
two more
tabs to the ribbon: “Design” and “Format”.

·       
Under the Design
mode, a number of functions can be performed to refine your chart according to
your preferences.

·       
On the “Charts
Layouts” ribbon group, click on the drop-down arrow on the “Add Chart Element” icon.

·       
An element box will open, with options such as
Axis, Axis Titles, Chart Title etc.

·       
Click on Chart
Title, select the “Above Chart”
option

·       
This will open a text box in the chart area
above the chart with the text “Chart
Title”.

·       
Click in the text box and delete “Chart Title”. Type in “Textbooks sold per month”.

·       
In the textbox, highlight “Textbooks sold per
month”.

o   
Click on the Home tab and change the font of the chart title to Arial, font size
16, Bold and Italic.

·       
You can change your primary horizontal and
vertical axis titles by clicking on “Add Chart Element”/”Axes” or you can
double click anywhere
on the axis; the “Format Axis”-window will open on the
right hand side.

·       
On the “Charts
Layouts” ribbon group, click on the drop down arrow on the “Add Chart Element” icon.

·       
Select “Axis
Titles” and then “Primary
Horizontal”

·       
This will open a text box in the chart area,
below the chart, with the text “Axis
title”.

·       
Click in the box and delete and delete “Axis title”. Type in “Months”.

·       
On the “Charts
Layouts” ribbon group, click on the drop down arrow on the “Add Chart Element” icon.

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·       
Select “Axis
Titles” and then “Primary Vertical”

·       
This will open a text box in the chart area,
on the left hand side of the chart, with the text “Axis title”.

·       
Click in the box and delete and delete “Axis title”. Type in “Number”.
MENU 
·       
Should you wish to move your chart/graph to a
different location, you can do so by: Click on “Move Chart” icon on the “Location”
ribbon
group on the “Design” tab on the “Chart tools” tab, then select the new location as
“New Sheet” and change the name from “Chart1”
to
Dashboard / My courses /
AIN2601-22-S1 /
Part 2: SPREADSHEET /
Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions
“Number”.

·       
Click on “OK”.

Did you notice that

the graph was moved to a new worksheet called “Number”?

·       
Save the workbook file as “GRAPH”.

·       
The graph you created should appear as
follows:

Computer activity 5.34 – Creating a chart

·       
Use the worksheet created
in activity
5.33 (ie the file called “GRAPH”).

·       
Select ranges
A3:A9 and D3:E9 simultaneously by
using the control key.

o  This is
done by selecting range A3:A9.

o  While
the above-mentioned range is selected, press the “CTRL” (control) key on
the
keyboard.

o  While
the “CTRL” (control) key is pressed down, used the mouse to select
range D3:E9.

·       
While the above-mentioned range is selected, click on the Insert tab on
the Ribbon.

o  In the Charts ribbon group, click on the dialog box launcher (the arrow in
the bottom right corner) to open the “Insert
Chart” window.

o  In the “All Charts” tab, select the fourth option “Line” – Here you have a number of options to choose from.
((Hovering with your mouse
pointer over the different chart icons will make the
description of the icon appear).

o   Within the “Line” options, select the

first option “Line”, again
you have a number or options available to you (see the top of the “Insert
Chart”
screen).

o   The “Insert Chart” window, gives you a

preview of what your final chart will look like.

o   Select the first potion under Line and then click on OK to apply the selected options. (If
you click on Cancel the creating of
the chart will be
cancelled).

·       
You will
notice that the graph inserted into your worksheet is a basic chart with only a
chart title and legend, without any axis titles. You are
going to update the
graph to be more user-friendly.

·       
On the “Charts
Layouts” ribbon group, click on the drop-down arrow on the “Add Chart Element” icon.

·       
An element box will open, with options such as
Axis, Axis Titles, Chart Title etc.

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·       
Click on Chart
Title, select the “Above Chart”
option

·       
This will open a text box in the chart area
above the chart with the text “Chart
Title”.

·       
Click in the text box and delete “Chart Title”. Type in “Total sales per month”.
MENU 
·       
On the “Charts
Layouts” ribbon group, click on the drop down arrow on the “Add Chart Element” icon.

Dashboard
·       
Select / My courses
“Axis
Titles” /
AIN2601-22-S1
and then /
Part 2: SPREADSHEET /
Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions
“Primary
Horizontal”

·       
This will open a text box in the chart area,
below the chart, with the text “Axis
title”.

·       
Click in the box and delete and delete “Axis title”. Type in “Month”.

·       
On the “Charts
Layouts” ribbon group, click on the drop down arrow on the “Add Chart Element” icon.

·       
Select “Axis
Titles” and then “Primary Vertical”

·       
This will open a text box in the chart area,
on the left hand side of the chart, with the text “Axis title”.

·       
Click in the box and delete and delete “Axis title”. Type in “Rand”.

·       
On the “Charts
Layouts” ribbon group, click on the drop-down arrow on the “Add Chart Element” icon.

·       
Select “Legend”
and then “Right”.

·       
Click on the “Move Chart” icon on the “Location”
ribbon on the “Design” tab on the “Chart tools” tab, then select the new location as
“Object in” and select “Sheet2” from the drop down menu (click on the arrow to
activate the menu).

·       
Click on “OK”.

Did you notice that

the graph was moved to Sheet 2?

·       
Save the workbook file “GRAPH”.

·       
The graph you created should appear as
follows:

6.2
 Updating
data in a chart

(a)   Updating source

data

You can update the range of data the chart is reading after
it was created. For example, you would use this to add an additional month’s
information as it becomes
available.

Computer activity 5.35

•    Click on
the
graph created in activity 5.33.

•    Click on
the
Design tab on
the
Ribbon.

•    In the Data ribbon group, click on

the Select data
icon.

•    This will open

the
Select Data Source Data dialog box.

•    Note that your

current data selection (range A3:C7) has dotted lines
around it.

•    Also note

the
current Chart data
range: =‘Sheet1’!$A$3:$C$7.

•    Update the data

range to include May and June’s
data by

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o   clicking on the table with the data and re-selecting the data range (ie A3:C9) to include
the data range
of the two months (note that your new
data selection
has dotted lines
around it)

  MENU 

OR
Dashboard / My courses /
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Part 2: SPREADSHEET /
Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions
 

o   changing  the  information

 in  the  Chart
 data  range:  box  from

=Sheet1!$A$3:$C$7
to =Sheet1!$A$3:$C$9

•    Click on
OK to apply the updated range.

•    The updated

graph will appear as follows:

(b)   Changing the

chart type

Microsoft Office Excel provides many different type of charts, including 3D charts. You can
change the type of chart after you

Computer activity 5.36

·   
Click on
the
chart created
in activity 5.33
or activity 5.35.

·   
Click on
the
Design tab on
the Chart Tools tab.

·   
In the Type
group, click on
the Change
Chart
Type icon.

·   
This will open
the
Change
Chart
Type dialog box.

·   
Experiment by
choosing
different types of charts.

·   
Click
on OK to action the change.

(c) 
 Changing the
chart layout
and format

You can customise your chart to give it your own individual look. You can, for example,
apply specific shape styles and
format the shapes
and text
of chart elements.

Computer activity 5.37

·   
Click on
the
chart created
in activity
5.34,
activity 5.35 or activity
5.36.

·   
Click on the
“Design” tab on the “Chart Tools” tab.

·   
Click on
the
“Quick Layouts” icon on the “Chart Layouts” group.

·   
Experiment by
selecting different
formats from the “Quick Layouts”
tab.

·   
Click on
OK to action the changes.

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·   
Click on the “Format” tab on the Ribbon.

·   
Experiment by
selecting different
formats from the groups on the Ribbon.
MENU 
·   
Click on
OK to action the changes.

   Dashboard / My courses /
AIN2601-22-S1 /
Part 2: SPREADSHEET /
Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

7     WORKING WITH PIVOT TABLES

“A pivot table is a
special Excel tool that allows you to summarize and explore data interactively.
It allows you to extract and summarize significant
information from a large
population of data. It is one of the most used Excel tools in practice.

It improves
efficiency as large amount of data can be summarized and analyzed at a fraction
of the time.

Computer
activity 5.38 – Millenium Clothing (Pty) Ltd “MC”

MC is a clothing
company that both manufactures and sells a wide variety of clothing items to
the South African market. Under the new
Employment Equity legislation, MC was
identified as a critical organization within a critical industry (Textile) and
it is thus required to increase
women participation within their senior and
executive management ranks to at least 45% and also ensure that its workforce
is at least 80%
permanent workers. The identification of the textile industry
as a critical sector was at the back of its pivotal importance to the
improvement of the
country’s economic growth and the youth employment
prospects.

As a critical
organization, MC is eligible to receive a R2.5m grant from the government on a
monthly basis, provided that the 45% women
participation and the 80% permanent
workers requirements are met and maintained. Mr. Andrew Potgieter (the CEO) is
unsure about the
organization’s current employment equity levels and is
therefore unable to motivate for the R2.5m grant. Mr. Potgieter has thus asked
you to help
analyse the organization’s headcount and then provide a report on
its employment equity levels.

After having a
number of discussions with the CEO and subsequently performing a work-through
exercise, you are of the opinion that the
Microsoft Office Excel’s pivot tables
will offer an added-value solution to Mr. Potgieter’s request.

      

Your walk-through exercise provided the

following three key information:

·       
In total MC currently employs 20 permanent
employees in various divisions and 50 contract workers in the factory (operations).

·       
MC has following 5 departmental divisions:

o  
Marketing

o  
Finance

o  
Operations

o  
Sales

o  
Human Resource (HR)

o  
Executive

·       
MC’s job grading is as follows:

o   
EX = Executive Management

o   
JM = Junior Management

o   
MM = Middle Management

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o   
SM = Senior Management

o   
GA = Grade A

o   
GB = Grade B
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Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

  Open a new excel worksheet, name it “MC Pivot” and enter the below data

  PLEASE NOTE: For a pivot table

to work, all the columns from
which pivot table will be created from need to have headings, see range A2:G2.

·       
Creating a
pivot table on “Gender” and “Grade”

1.     
In the MC Pivot worksheet, place your cursor
on cell K2, OR any other cell
you prefer to put the pivot, as long as is not in the data range
A1:G24.

2.     
Click on “Insert” tab on the ribbon.

3.     
On the Tables
ribbon group, click on “Pivot Table”
icon

4.     
The “Create PivotTable” window will then
appear.

5.     
Click on the
“Table/Range”: window and with your
mouse, select the data range as A2:G24

6.     
Click on “Existing Worksheet” – this option give
you an opportunity to specify the desired location for the pivot table.

7.     
“Location” window is based on the cell selected
above in step (1) above, should you wish to change the location of the pivot,
it can be done
here.

8.     
Click on OK, to apply all the selected settings.

9.      Click on OK, to apply all the selected settings.

10.   The “PivotTable Fields” window will appear as follows:

11.       
The “PivotTable Fields” window is used to create
the structure of the pivot table, for this example the pivot structure is
created as follows:

o   Click and drag the “Gender”

icon in “Choose fields to add to report”
and drop it on the “Columns” window.

o   Click and drag the “Grade”

icon in “Choose fields to add to report”
and drop it on the “Rows” window

o   Click and drag the “Count” icon in “Choose fields to add to
report” and drop it on the “Σ Values”
widow

12.       The created Pivot table will appear as follows: Take note the value
format of the pivot table automatically default to “Sum” of variables
within the scenario, in this example is the “Sum of Count”

Based on the requirements of this activity to display the results

in % format, the below additional activities will still need to be performed.

13.       
Click on cell K13,
and repeat the steps 2 to 9 to create another pivot table.

14.       
In the “PivotTable Fields” widow, locate the “Σ Values” icon and click on drop-down
arrow next to “Sum of Count”.

15.       
The “Value Field Settings” window will
appear, click on the “Show Values As”
tab.

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16.       
On the “Show value as” select the “% of Grand Total” option – Here a
number of options are available depending on the desired report
format.

17.       
Click on OK to apply the selected settings.

MENU 
18.       
The second pivot
table will appear as follows.
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AIN2601-22-S1 /
Part 2: SPREADSHEET /
Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

From
the pivot, it can be gathered that MC’s female workforce is 40% of the Total
workforce, with only 5.7% (1.4% + 4.3%) in EX and SM structures.
Does the women
representation meet the EE requirements to qualify for the R2.5m grant?

19.       
Based on the same
information and the learnings you have acquired, attempt to create the two
formats of the “employment type”
(contract vs. permanent) pivots.

20.       
The two pivots
should appear as follows:

From the above pivot table, is can be gathered that contract

workforce constitute 71.4% of MC’s total workforce. Does this findings meet the
additional requirement for the R2.5m government grant?

8      SPREADSHEETS:
THE BIGGER PICTURE

We have included this final section to help you see the bigger picture. Now that you have
worked through this study unit and have mastered the
basic formulas and functions included
in the AIN2601 syllabus, it is time for you to
apply this knowledge to simulated real-life scenarios. We have
taken the time to compile three assessment questions to demonstrate
how you would apply your
newly
gained knowledge in an examination
situation.

We would like to use this opportunity

to stress the importance of examination
technique.
If you combine your subject knowledge with the
correct examination technique,
you will
pass the Microsoft Office Excel portion of the examination with flying colours.
Please note that it’s not a
matter of “IF” an examination will have a Microsoft
Office Excel question, the examination will definitely have a Microsoft Office
Excel question.

8      SPREADSHEETS:
THE BIGGER PICTURE - continued

·       
Remember that we actually try to guide you in the right direction in the question. Always
read the provided spreadsheet from TOP to
BOTTOM
and LEFT to RIGHT as well as the
given
case
study information.
Keep that in mind. You will find the necessary information to
answer the
questions.

·       
The concepts “Formulas” and “Functions”
are similar, and the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. You will always see this sentence
in your Microsoft Office Excel questions in the examination:

“NOTE!!!!: Where it is indicated that your formula will be copied to other cells, your formula
should take absolute and relative addresses into
account,
but only where necessary!”

o   This reminds you that you need to consider whether the formula will be copied down or across the spreadsheet, which will influence the
absolute and relative cell references
to be
included in the formula/function. However, refer to the last part of the sentence
again: “…but only
where necessary!” Invest the time in gaining a sound understanding of absolute and relative
references. It is incorrect to use absolute references
unnecessarily. You will
not receive a mark for an absolute reference that has been used unnecessarily.

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o    As far as copying down (over rows) and across (over columns) is concerned, we will
never tell you whether the question require you to copy
down or across, but the
clue
will be in looking
at the cell range to
which we want you to copy the formula to. If the rows change, for
example,
C11:C14, then you are copying DOWN and the row reference should include
an
absolute reference if necessary. If the columns change, for
example, C11:K11,
then you are copying ACROSS and the column reference should include an absolute
reference if necessary.
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·       
This hint is/based
Dashboard on your/ own
My courses personal preference:

AIN2601-22-S1 If SPREADSHEET
/
Part 2: you become flustered when
/
Study Unittrying to do basic
5: Spreadsheet calculations
formulas in Microsoft Office Excel, do
and functions
the mathematical calculation first and
then substitute the amounts
with
the correct cell references. However,
indicate
your
final answer clearly
with
the appropriate formula and correct cell references).

·       
Make sure you indicate
your final answer clearly. Do not give more than answer because we will only mark your first answer. Your final answer
will be marked if you have clearly
indicated the formula to be
your final
answer.

·       
You must learn all formula structures by heart except
for PV, FV, PMT and VLOOKUP. When you start writing your paper, first
write down all
structures so you can refer back to them once you start with the Microsoft
Office
Excel questions. This should prevent you from becoming flustered
when you
are pressed for time

8      SPREADSHEETS:
THE BIGGER PICTURE - continued

·        
Frequent mistakes in Microsoft Office Excel questions

When marking
a Microsoft Office Excel question, student will be penalised for a variety of
errors for not adhering to rules or inconsistent
application of rules. Bear in
mind that we will only deduct marks until
you have
zero for a formula – you will therefore never receive a negative
mark for that specific formula. Below are the related common/frequent mistakes, please review and
ensure that you understand why these
formats are incorrect.

a)    
Not starting the formula with =

b)    
Using [ ] instead of in the formula structure.

  

c)    
Incorrect use of parentheses .

d)    
Using ;
instead of : to indicate a range (see section 3.2 in
this
study unit)

e)    
Inconsistent use of ; instead of , to separate arguments  (see
section 3.2 in this study unit)

f)      
Using function “SUM” in a formula where
it is unnecessary

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2/26/22, 10:29 PM AIN2601-22-S1: Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

g)    
Not using “ ” when using text in a formula
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Study Unit 5: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

h)    
Using mathematical signs instead of Microsoft Office Excel signs

i)      
Using a formula when
a Function (fx)
is available

j)      
Incorrect writing of values/amounts in a
formula/function

k)    
Adding unnecessary/additional arguments
the ormula/function

  

·        
Frequent mistakes in Microsoft Office Excel questions
- continued

l)      
Incorrect writing of values/amounts in a
formula/function

When you use a cell displaying a % format in any of your formulas/functions, DO NOT multiply or divide the
value by 100.
Multiplying by 100
when expressing percentages is incorrect because the end result will be 100 times more than it should be. Dividing by 100 when expressing
percentages
is also incorrect because the
end result will be 100 times
less
than
it should be.

A percentage is a fraction where 1 equals

the whole or 100%. Multiplying by 100% at the end of a formula is correct because 100% is effectively 1
(1.00), where 1 times any value

= the original value

you
multiplied the 1 by.
◄ Study Unit 5: Overview
 
Jump to...
Also refer to
the above examples of the 5% and 14% being expressed as 0.05 and 0.14
respectively.
Study Unit 6: Overview ►
 Note: No student will
receive less than
0 for
a particular
formula.

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AIN2601-22-S1
9      SUMMARY

By using
spreadsheets
Data as business applications, you can perform either simple or complex calculations. We showed you how Microsoft Office Excel
retention summary
can help you solve business and accounting problems you may encounter
when
using different formulas and
various functions.
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In the next study unit we focus on spreadsheet security risks and controls

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Last modified: Friday, 10 December 2021, 12:36 PM

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