CS 241

Introduction to MS Excel

Excel as a Spreadsheet
Definition:
A spreadsheet is a computer program that organizes data into rows and columns, for
computing desired calculations and making overall adjustments based on new
data.
The advantage of using a spreadsheet is that it is easy to go back and
and change numbers without having to recalculate everything.
Why Use Excel?
The value of Microsoft Excel lies in its ability to
manipulate numbers very well. This makes Excel
useful for budgets and other things which require
mathematics.

Formulas can be created once and copied rather than
needing to re-create the formula each time.

Excel is a useful tool when preparing graphs detailing
the results of your calculations.

Information can be saved and imported into other
programs such as Microsoft Word.
Overview of the Excel Screen
Microsoft Excel consists of workbooks.
Within each workbook, there is an infinite
number of worksheets.

Each worksheet contains columns and
rows.

Where a column and a row intersect is
called the cell. For example, cell B6 is
located where column B and row 6 meet.
You enter your data into the cells on the
worksheet.

The tabs at the bottom of the screen
represent different worksheets within a
workbook. You can use the scrolling
buttons on the left to bring other
worksheets into view.



Overview of the Excel Screen
The Name Box indicates what
cell you are in. This cell is
called the active cell.
This cell is highlighted by a
black box.

The fx is used to edit
your formula on your selected
cell.

The Formula Bar indicates
the contents of the cell
selected. If you have created a
formula, then the formula will
appear in this space.




Excel Worksheets
With Excel, you will be working with different worksheets within a workbook.
Often times it is necessary to name the different worksheets so that it is easier to
find them. To do so you must:

1) Double click to highlight an existing worksheet


2) Type in what you would like to rename the worksheet
Entering Formulas
When entering numerical data, you can command Excel to do any mathematical
function.
Start each formula with an equal sign (=). To enter the same formulas for a range
of cells, use the colon sign :



ADDITION FORMULAS
To add cells together use the
+ sign.

To sum up a series of cells, select
the cells. The answer will appear at
the bottom of the worksheet.

Entering Formulas
SUBTRACTION FORMULAS
To subtract cells, use the - sign.

DIVISION FORMULAS
To divide cells, use the / sign.

MULTIPLICATION FORMULAS
To multiply cells, use the * sign.

Fill Down & Fill Right
Fill is quick way of copying and pasting
Try This
Cell A1: 5
Cell B1: f(x)=x
2
4x + 3 where x is value in A1
Cell A2: 7
Cell C1: f(x,y)=y
3
10x
2

where x is value in A1 and y is value in A2
Cell D1: f(x,y)=ln(x) + sin(y)
Relative vs. Absolute Referencing
By default, cell references are relative






$ in formula locks the row or column
(i.e. makes the cell reference absolute)
$A10 (the column will not change when copy/pasting)
A$10 (the row will not change when copy/pasting)
$A$10 (neither row nor column change)
Copy & Paste
Example
Copy Cell B1 down to cells B2 through B5
Why do we get an error? Click on the formula
cells, what happens to A as we move down the
column?
Fix it using Absolute Referencing
Copy C1 through cell C5
Copy D1 to E1
Got Errors? Fix em! Hint ($)
Recap
$ in formula locks the row or column (i.e.
makes the cell reference absolute)
$A10 (the column will not change when copy/pasting)
A$10 (the row will not change when copy/pasting)
$A$10 (neither row nor column change)

Vibration
Displacement of a Structure over Time
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
0 1 2 3 4
Ti me (s)
D
i
s
p
l
a
c
e
m
e
n
t
Try This
(we will do the graph next)
k= 0.5
=3
t = 0.0, 0.1, 0.2,,4.0 seconds
What is the value of f(t) for t = 3.6 seconds?
EXP() represents e in a function in Excel


) cos( 8 ) ( t e t f
kt

=
Displacement of a Structure over Time
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
0 1 2 3 4
Ti me (s)
D
i
s
p
l
a
c
e
m
e
n
t
Hints
Constants k=.5 and w=3 need to be an absolute
references ($$).
You need 1 column for the function and 1 for t
values.
Use fill to get t values (t =0.0, 0.1, 0.2,,4.0 sec.)
EXP() represents e in a function in Excel
Beware of parentheses!
Remember to use * whenever you want to multiply.
For Example: 8*EXP() 8*COS()


) cos( 8 ) ( t e t f
kt

=
Charts or Graphs
Numbers can usually be represented quicker and to a
larger audience in a picture format. Excel has a chart
program built into its main program. The Chart
Wizard will step you through questions that will
(basically) draw the chart from the data that you will
select. There are many types of charts.
Click on the Insert Menu and you will get the
charts menu
Creating Charts
With the Excel
program you can
create charts clicking
on Insert
Step 1:Highlight the
data that you wish to
be included in the
chart.
Step 2: Choose a chart
type to insert.

Creating Charts
Step 3: Choose a
chart layout. Than
double click on the
title and axis labels
to change them.
Step 4: Choose a
location for the
chart.

-
9
7
-
9
8
-
9
9
-
1
0
0
-
1
0
1
-
1
0
2
-
1
0
3
-
1
0
4
-
1
0
5
-
1
0
6
-
1
0
7
-
1
0
8
-
1
0
9
-
1
1
0
-
1
1
1
-
1
1
2
-
1
1
3
-
1
1
4
-
1
1
5
-
1
1
6
-
1
1
7
-
1
1
8
-
1
1
9
49.0
49.5
50.0
50.5
51.0
51.5
52.0
52.5
53.0
53.5
54.0
54.5
55.0
55.5
56.0
56.5
57.0
Lati tude
Longi tude
Edmonton
Cal gary
Saskatoon
Wi nni peg
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990
Renewables
Hydro
Nuclear
Gas
Oil
Coal
Univ. Budget
450
470
490
510
530
550
570
590
1
9
8
5
1
9
8
6
1
9
8
7
1
9
8
8
1
9
8
9
1
9
9
0
1
9
9
1
1
9
9
2
1
9
9
3
1
9
9
4
1
9
9
5
1
9
9
6
1
9
9
7
1
9
9
8
1
9
9
9
$
M
Project Budget by Category
Structural
Components
Electrical Components
Decorative Material
Conditionals
=if(test, true, false)

The test is a logical test (only true/false answers)
B10=1 is B10 exactly 1?
C12>(B9+10) is C12 greater than (B9+10)?
A$16=yes is A16 equal to the text yes?
True is the cell value if the test result is true
False is the cell value if the test result is false

if(A1<200, A1,Cholesterol is too high)

Try This
=if(test, true, false)
Go to Sheet 2
Make A1=91
In B1, type =if(B1>90, A, Bummer)
What does B1 read?
Make A1=85
What does B1 read now?

Formatting Workbooks
To add borders to cells, you
can select from various border
options.

To add colors to text or cells,
you can select the text color
option or the cell fill option,
then select the desired color.

To change the alignment of the
cells, highlight the desired
cells and select any of the
three alignment options.




Formatting Workbooks
To check the spelling of your data,
highlight the desired cells and click
on the spelling button under the
Review tab.

When entering dollar amounts, you
can select the cells you desire to be
currency formatted, then click on the
$ button to change the cells.

You can bold, italicize, or underline
any information in the cells, as well
as change the styles and fonts of
those cells.

Printing
When printing a worksheet
you have a few options.
You can go to Page
Setup under the Page
Layout tab to change the
features of your work (the
margins, the paper size, the
tabs, etc.) This will affect
how your project will be
printed.
You can select Print
Area, which allows you to
only print a highlighted area.

Printing
File Tab
You can preview your
printing job before
printing
Finally, you can print
your job by going to the
Office Button and
selecting Print.
Can also Save As PDF file
to create PDF files directly
Saving
You must save all homework for
this class as an Excel workbook

Click on the Office Button

Go to Save As

Select Excel workbook
Homework
Take Attendance Quiz 11 (password =study)
Study for your MathCAD Exam
See Webcampus Week 13 for Excel HW
Due in 2 weeks on December 2, 11:59PM