Spreadsheet

What is a spreadsheet?
A spreadsheet is a grid or table consisting of columns and row that hold accounting or financial data. It
captures displays and manipulates data.

A Spreadsheet software is an application that allows users to organize data in columns and rows and perform
calculations on the data. These columns and rows collectively are called a worksheet. Most spreadsheet
software has basic features to help users create, edit, and format worksheets. A spreadsheet file also is
known as a workbook because it can contain thousands of individual worksheets. Data is organized vertically
in columns and horizontally in rows on each worksheet.

Examples of spreadsheet software are:

 Microsoft Excel
 Google Sheets - (online and free)
 iWork Numbers - Apple Office Suite
 LibreOffice -> Calc (free)
 Lotus Symphony - Spreadsheets
 OpenOffice -> Calc (free)
Spreadsheet software can be used to perform the following activities:
• Simple calculations
• Complex calculations
• Presentation of data in charts
• Sort data in ascending and descending order
• Filter data (to only the required data)

Examples and uses of a spreadsheet

Although spreadsheets are most often used with anything containing numbers, the uses of a spreadsheet are
almost endless. Below are some other popular uses of spreadsheets.

Finance
Spreadsheets are ideal for financial data, such as your checking account information, budgets, taxes,
transactions, billing, invoices, receipts, forecasts, and any payment system.

Forms
Form can be created to handle inventory, performance reviews, quizzes, time sheets, patient information,
and surveys.

School and grades

Teachers can use spreadsheets to track students, calculate grades, and identify relevant data, such as high
and low scores, missing tests, and students who are struggling.

Lists
Managing a list in a spreadsheet is a great example of data that does not contain numbers, but still can be
used in a spreadsheet. Great examples of spreadsheet lists include telephone, to-do, and grocery lists.

Sports
Spreadsheets can keep track of your favorite player stats or stats on the whole team. With the collected data,
you can also find averages, high scores, and statistical data. Spreadsheets can even be used to create
tournament brackets.

Row and column

Rows run from left to right or horizontally.
Columns run from top to bottom or vertically
Cell - The intersection of a row and column on a worksheet into which data can be typed.

Each row has its own number and each column its own letter. This labelling of rows and columns is used to
give each cell a cell address (also called cell reference), for example, C5 means column C, row 5.
Cells can contain values (numbers), Labels (text) or formulae.

SPREADSHEET FILE:
Workbook – Another name for a spreadsheet document is a workbook. A workbook consists of a
number of sheets, called worksheets. Worksheets appear as named tabs (e.g: Sheet1, Sheet2, Sheet3 etc) at
the bottom of a workbook. Their colour can be changed, and they can also be reordered or renamed. You can
add a new sheet at any time or set the default number of sheets to display upon opening each workbook.
Worksheet – A single page in a workbook

Entering Data into a spreadsheet cell

Data is entered directly into worksheet cells by clicking a cell to make it the active cell and then typing the
data to be contained in that cell. The contents of the active cell can be erased by pressing the Delete key or
by typing new content, which replaces the old contents of that cell.

The Active Cell is the cell which you have currently selected. It will have a darker outline around it so you can
easily see which cell you are currently using.

Cell References (cell address)

Each cell has a unique address. This address is known as the ‘Cell Reference’ or ‘cell address’ and it helps us
identify cells for use in formulae. The cell reference comes from the Column Letter followed by the Row
Number.

Range of cells
A group of one or more cells is called a range. You describe a range of cells by typing its upper left
Cell address and its lower-right cell address, separated by a colon. Below are examples of cell ranges:

1. The diagram below shows the range of cells: A1:C6

 2. The diagram below shows the range of cells: C1:C5

3. The diagram below shows the range of cells: A3:E3

4. To select a range of individual cells, hold down CTRL and click on each cell that you want to include in
the range.

Data types:
There are three types of data that can be entered into a cell, these are:
1. label,
2. value,
3. formula (which always starts with an = sign)
Labels are text values such as words, column headings, and other nonmathematical data. In the spreadsheet
example on the previous page, the labels are: “Check number, date, description, amount”
Values are numbers (such as 105 or 12740.25) and are entered into a cell without any additional characters
(such as a dollar sign or comma). Numbers can also be used as labels in a spreadsheet, in order to use a
number as a label, you have to place a single quotation mark just before the number (for example: ‘2009) and
it will be seen as a label by the spreadsheet. Labels are aligned to the left of the cell by default.

Value
Number data, also called values, is used in calculations. By default, numbers are right-aligned in a cell. In
addition to actual numbers, Excel also stores dates and times as numbers. Other spreadsheet programs treat
dates and times as a separate data category. Problems arise when numbers are formatted as text data. This
prevents them from being used in calculations.

Formulas are mathematical equations that perform operations

on data stored in other cells in the spreadsheet. Simple formulas
are used to perform basic mathematical calculation such as add
or subtract numbers. Spreadsheets have formulas called
functions that are built into the program. Every formula begins
with an equal sign (=). A formula can contain any of these
elements:

 Mathematical operators, such as + (for addition) and *

(for multiplication)
 Cell references (including named cells and ranges)
 Values or text
 Functions (such as SUM and AVERAGE)

A function is a predefined or preprogrammed formula, that can be used to perform various operations. There
are literally hundreds of functions that can be used in spreadsheets for math, logical, statistical, engineering
and text-based computations. All spreadsheet programs include common functions that can be used for
quickly finding the sum, average, count, maximum value, and minimum value for a range of cells.
Operators in formulas

Excel formulas support a variety of operators. Operators are symbols that indicate what mathematical (or
logical) operation you want the formula to perform. The table below lists the operators that Excel recognises:

Operator Name Example

+ Addition =A2+A3, =A2+5
– Subtraction =B4-B5
* Multiplication =A1*2
/ Division =B3/4
^ Exponentiation (Raised to powers) =2^3 (raises 2 to the third power, which is
the same as =2*2*2, equal to 8
= Logical comparison (equal to) B2=10
& Concatenation (Joins) =B2&B3 (Join the contents in cell B2 and
B3 together into one cell
> Logical comparison (greater than) B2>10
 < Logical comparison (less than) B2<10
>= Logical comparison (greater than or equal to) B2>=10
<= Logical comparison (less than or equal to B2<=10
<> Logical comparison (not equal to) B2<>10

Operator order of precedence in formulas

When Excel calculates the value of a formula, it uses certain rules to determine the order in which the various
parts of the formula are calculated. You need to understand these rules so that your formulas produce
accurate results. The table below lists the Excel operator order of precedence.

You can use parentheses () to override the order of precedence. Expressions within parentheses are always
evaluated first. For example, the following formula uses parentheses to control the order in which the
calculations occur. In this case, cell B3 is subtracted from cell B2, and the result is multiplied by cell 4:” =(B2-
B3)*4“
If you enter the formula without the parentheses ”=B2-B3*4”, you will get a different answer. Because
multiplication has a higher precedence, cell B3 is multiplied by cell 4. This result is then subtracted from cell
B2, which isn’t what was intended.

Using Functions

A function must be written using a specific format, which is called the syntax. The basic syntax for a function
is an equal sign (=), the function name (SUM, for example), a parenthesis, one or more argument. Some
functions do not contain any arguments. Arguments contain the information you want to calculate. The
function in the example below would add the values of the cell range A1:A20.
Arguments
Arguments can be individual cells and cell ranges and must be enclosed within parentheses. You can include
one argument or multiple arguments.

For example, the function =AVERAGE(B1:B9) would calculate the average of the values in the cell range
B1:B9. This function contains only one argument.

Multiple arguments
Multiple arguments must be separated by a comma. For example, the function =SUM(A1:A3, C1:C2, E2) will
add the values of all cells in the three arguments.
Common Functions:
There are a variety of functions. Here are some of the most common functions you'll use:

 SUM: This function adds all the values of the cells in the argument. For example, =SUM(A2:A5)
 AVERAGE: This function calculates the average of the values included in the argument. It calculates
the sum of the cells and then divides that value by the number of cells in the argument. For example,
=AVERAGE(A2:A5)
 COUNT: This function counts the number of cells with numerical data in the argument. This function
is useful for quickly counting items in a cell range. For example, =COUNT(A2:A5)

 COUNTA: This function works in a similar way to the COUNT function with a slight difference. Rather
than just being able to count the number of numeric values (like the COUNT function), COUNTA can
count the number of numeric or text vales in a cell. For example, =COUNTA(A2:A5)

 MAX: This function determines the highest cell value included in the argument. For example,
=MAX(A2:A5)

 MIN: This function determines the lowest cell value included in the argument. For example,
=MIN(A2:A5)

Date function:
 TODAY Function: The TODAY function displays the current date in a cell. The TODAY() function does
not require arguments, but you must include the parentheses. The TODAY function is written by
typing: =TODAY()

 NOW Function: The NOW function uses the computer’s clock to display the current date and time
that you last opened the workbook. Like the TODAY function, the NOW function does not require
arguments, but you must include the parentheses. The NOW function is written by typing: =NOW()

Number formats

Number formats make your spreadsheet easier to read,

they also make it easier to use. When you apply a number
format, you are telling your spreadsheet exactly what types
of values are stored in a cell. For example, the date format
tells the spreadsheet that you're entering specific calendar
dates.

This allows the spreadsheet to better understand your

data, which can help ensure that your data remains
consistent and that your formulas are calculated correctly.

There are several number format that you can choose from,
including: General, Number, Accounting, Currency,
Percentage, Date, etc.
General number format
If you don't need to use a specific number format, the spreadsheet will usually apply the general number
format by default.

Currency and Accounting

While both the Currency format and the Accounting format can be used to correctly display monetary values,
there are some differences between them:
Currency: With Currency format, the currency symbol appears next to the first digit in the cell. (That is, it is
not aligned with the other currency symbols in the column.

Accounting:
The currency symbol ($) is left aligned aligned with the other currency symbols in the column.
Cells that contain only zeros are identified with a hyphen.
Negative numbers appear in parentheses.

The image below shows how some of the number formats will be displayed:
Sorting
As you add more content to a worksheet, organizing this information becomes especially important. You can
quickly reorganize a worksheet by sorting your data. For example, you could organize a list of contact
information by last name. Content can be sorted alphabetically, numerically, and in many other ways.
Numbers and text values can be sorted in ascending or descending order.

 Ascending order arranges text alphabetically from A to Z, numbers from smallest to largest, and
dates from oldest to newest.

 Descending order arranges text in reverse alphabetical order from Z to A, numbers from largest to
smallest, and dates from newest to oldest.

 In both ascending and descending order, blank cells are placed at the end of the table.

This table is sorted in Ascending order This table is sorted in Ascending order

Ascending Order Descending Order

1 A Aaron 10 J Zane
2 B Carl 9 I Sandra
3 C Johnny 8 H Randolph
4 D Joseph 7 G Paul
5 E Mary 6 F Pamela
6 F Pamela 5 E Mary
7 G Paul 4 D Joseph
8 H Randolph 3 C Johnny
9 I Sandra 2 B Carl
10 J Zane 1 A Aaron