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Table of
Excel Basics
Content
s

What’s Ahead?
Types of Entries ■
Entering Formulas ■
■ Introduction
Entering Functions ■
■ Terminology
Navigate a Worksheet
■ The Excel Window ■
 ■ Copying & Moving ■ Labels

Types of Cell References

■ Naming and Moving

Sheets
Formulas
Cells

Values

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Introduction

■ What is a spreadsheet?
■ Electronic grid used to store and manipulate numeric information
 ■ Examples: Quattro Pro, Microsoft Excel, or Lotus 1-2-3

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Terminology
■ Worksheet
■ A grid of rows and columns
 ■ Row
■ A horizontal section of the grid
■ Represented by numbers from 1 to 65535

■ Column
■ A vertical section of the grid
■ Represented by letters from A to IV (256 columns)

■ Cell
■ The point where a row and column intersect
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The Excel Window

■ Name box
■ The current cell address
New Window Elements ■ Also used to name a group of cells ■
Formula bar Pointer
■ Where you enter or edit data
■ Cell Pointer
Name box Formula bar

Cell
■ Shows where your cursor currently is (e.g., C4)
■ Sheet tabs
■ Shows the names of different worksheets

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Types of Entries
 ■ Numbers (Values)
■ Numbers entered in a spreadsheet
■ Formulas and Functions
■ Formula: 🡪 =D5+D6-E8
■ Function: 🡪 =Sum(A1:A9)

■ Text (Labels)
■Normally left aligned within a cell ■ Type
an ‘ (apostrophe) before a number you
want to use as a label
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 Entering Formulas

■ Normally begin with an = sign

■ Refer to cells in a worksheet

■ May refer to an actual cell address (e.g., C5)

■ May use a range name (e.g., October)

■ Follows a specific order of calculation

■ ( ) for Items in parentheses
■ ^ for Exponents (e.g., =2^3 = 2 x 2 X 2 = 8) ■ *

and / for Multiplication and division (left to right) ■ +

and - for Addition and subtraction (left to right)

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Entering Formulas

What’s the answer to the problem?

Is it 10, because 10+10
=10+10/2
No! Division is done first. It’s 15,
= 20, and 20 / 2 = 10???
because 10 / 2 = 5 and 5 + 10 = 15.

Try this additional problem:

=20+(2+2)*2^2 =36
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Entering Functions
■ Predefined formulas used to ■ Entering functions: ■ Typed
directly
do complex calculations
■ Using the Paste Function button
■ Begin with =, followed by the
function name (e.g., Sum). ■
Contain arguments within
parentheses
 Source: Microsoft Help Screens

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WORKING WITH FORMULAE

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 Formula
⮚ A formula is an equation that performs operations on
worksheet data.

⮚ Formula can perform mathematical operations, such as

addition and multiplication, or they can compare
worksheet values or join text

⮚ Formula can refer to other cells on the same worksheet,

cells on other sheets in the same workbook, or cells on
sheets in other workbooks.
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How to construct a Formula

Formula calculate values in a special order
 ⮚A formula in Microsoft Excel always begins with
an equal sign (=). The equal sign tells Excel that the
succeeding characters constitute a formula
⮚Following the equal sign are the elements to be
calculated (the operands), which are separated by
calculation operators.
⮚Excel calculates the formula from left to right
according to a specific order for each operator in
the formula. You can change the order of
operations by using parentheses.
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 Example: = (A4+24) / SUM(F1:F5)

The parentheses around the first part of the formula force Excel
to calculate A4+24 first and then divide the result by the sum of
the values in cells F1 to F5
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Order of Operations in Formulas

 When you combine several operators in a single formula,
Microsoft Excel performs the operations in an order. When a
formula contains operators with same precedence – for
example, if a formula contains both a multiplication and
division operator – Excel starts calculating the operators
from left to right. To change the orders of evaluation enclose
the part of the formula to be calculated first in parentheses.
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Order of Operations
Order Operator Description
1 () Parentheses
2 ~ Negation
3 % Percent
 4 ^ Exponentiation
5 * and / Multiplication and Division
6 + and - Addition and Subtraction
7 & Concatenation
8 =, <, <=, >=, <> Comparison Operators

Table of Contents the elements of a formula. Microsoft

Calculation operators in formula Excel includes four different types of
Operators specify the type of calculation operators: Arithmetic,
calculation that you want to perform on Comparison, Text, and Reference.

• Arithmetic Operators – perform basic mathematical operations such as

addition, subtraction or multiplication; combine numbers and produce
numeric results, use the following arithmetic operators. Ex. +, -, *, /, % and ^
 • Comparison Operators – compare two values with the following operators.
Using these operators to compare two values, the result is a logical value,
either TRUE or FALSE. Ex. =, <, <=, >=, <>

•Text Concatenation Operator. Use the ampersand (&) to join, or concatenate

one or more text strings to produce a single piece of text. Ex. & (ampersand)

• Reference Operators. Combine ranges of cells for calculations with the

following operators. Ex. : (colon) and ; (semicolon)
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Entering Functions
■ Average of values
■ Max(number1,number2,…)

■ Largest value
■ Predefined functions ■
Sum(number1,number2,…) ■ ■Min(number1,number2,…)
■ Smallest value
Adds values
■ Count(number1,number2,…)
■ Average(number1,number2,…)
■
 The # of cells with a value ■ =Min(A3:B4) = 8
■ Sample functions ■ =Count(A3:B4) = 4

■ =Sum(A3:B4) = 40
■ =Sum(A3,A4,B3,B4) = 40

■ =Average(A3:B4) = 10 ■

=Max(A3:B4) = 12
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Navigate a Worksheet

■ Ready Mode
■ ^+HOME = Moves to cell A1
■ ^+End = Move to lower right of active area ■

End+ Arrow = Moves to the beginning or end of

 the current section. Note: ^+ Arrow also works ■

F5 (or^G) = Moves to a specific cell or range

name
■ Tab or Shift+Tab = Right or Left one column

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Navigate a Worksheet

■ Edit Mode
■ F2 or double click = Switches to
the Edit mode
 ■ Home = Moves to the left side of
the current line
■ End = Goes to the right side of the

current line
■ ^ 🡨 or ^ 🡪 = Moves left or right a

word at a time

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Copying & Moving

■ Copying option
■ Copy (^C) and Paste (^V)
 ■ Hold Ctrl while dragging
■ Drag the
fill handle
■ Move options Cut (^X)
■

and Paste (^V) ■ Drag and drop

■ You can also use
the Office
Clipboard
■

View🡪Toolbars🡪Clipboard
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Types of Cell References Types of

cell addresses Study pages Excel B-14 to

■ Relative =B5*2 Excel B-19 for more details.

■ Formulas change as they are moved or copied

■ Absolute =$B$5*2
Formulas don’t change as they are moved or copied
■

■ Contain $ signs around the row and column ■ $ signs

are entered with the F4 function key ■ Mixed =$B5*2

or =B$5*2
■ Part of the formula changes and part stays the same
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Naming and Moving Sheets

■ Renaming sheets ■

Double-click the sheet tab

■ Type the new name

■ Moving sheets
■ Grab and drag the sheet
■ Creating new sheets
■ Insert 🡪 Worksheet
■ Select several worksheets first

(Shift+click) if you want to create

 several sheets at once

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Excel Pointer Shapes

Usage and Purpose

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 Excel Pointer Shapes
As with other Microsoft programs, the shape
of the pointer changes as you are working
with the program. Each pointer shape is
communicating something about how Excel is
working. The shape of the pointer when you
click and drag a cell will greatly influence the
results of the click and drag. The following
slides describes each of the pointer shapes
that you may encounter in your Excel work.
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Hollow Plus Sign

 ■ Meaning
■ The default pointer shape

■ Action
■ Move cell pointer or select
range of cell
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Double Arrow
■ Meaning
■ When the pointer is on a border
(column, row, or window), the
pointer changes to a two-headed
black pointer. When adjusting row
height, the arrow goes up and
down. When adjusting column
 width, the arrows point right to left.
■ Action
■ Adjust the column width, row
height, or window size
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Insertion Point
■ Meaning
■ When you are editing the
contents of a cell, the
pointer will change to an I
beam.
■ Action
■ Move the insertion point
within the cell
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 Move Object Cursor
■ Meaning
■ The pointer turns to a
four-headed arrow
when you have a
graphic that may be
moved
■ Action
■ With the pointer over
the graphic, click and
drag to the new
location
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Four Headed Arrow

 ■ Meaning
■ Appears when you are
pointing to the border
of a cell.

■ Action
■ Click and drag cell to
a new location
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Fill Corner
■ Meaning
■Appears when you are
at the "fill corner" of a
cell or range of cells.
 ■ Action
■ Click and drag the fill
corner to Auto fill
other cells with similar
information
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The End
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