Excel the spreadsheet application of the Microsoft Office Suite. A
spreadsheet is a grid of rows and columns containing numbers, text, and
formulas, and each intersection is called a cell. A spreadsheet's
objective is to solve numeric problems and formulas, but they can also
be used to display all types of information in a row and column format.
Besides calculating accurately and rapidly, spreadsheets are flexible,
and when they are updated all related cells are also updated
automatically.
Anderson School District in
Pendleton, SC, has provided
the following Excel training documents and tutorials.
These teach you
how to use the features of Excel, format your data, work with
formulas and functions, perform page setup, and create charts. All
of the features
demonstrated here are also available in Excel 2003.
Introduction
to Microsoft Excel 2002 (pdf, 15 pages,
302kb)
Objectives:
- Become familiar with Microsoft Excel
- Create, edit, and format spreadsheets
- Create formulas, charts and
pivot tables
- Objectives
- Introduction
- Components of the Excel Window
- Entering and Editing Data
- Working with Excel Documents
- Formulas and Functions
- Formatting Data
- Page Setup, Previewing, and Printing
- Additional Resources
Using Excel Formulas and Functions (pdf, 17 pages, 137kb)
Formulas and functions in Excel give the user a powerful method to calculate and solve numeric problems and build what-if type scenarios. A formula in Excel always begins with an equal sign (=), followed by the elements to be calculated (the operands), which are separated by calculation operators. For example, the following formula multiplies 2 by 3 and then adds 5 to the result: =5+2*3. A formula can contain any or all of the following items: functions (a pre-written formula that returns a value), references, operators (a sign or symbol that specifies the type of calculation), and constants.
Components of an Excel formula:
- Functions: The PI() function returns the value of pi: 3.142...
- References (or names): A2 returns the value in cell A2.
- Constants: Numbers or text values entered directly into a formula, such as 2.
- Operators: The ^ (caret) operator raises a number to a power, and the * (asterisk) operator multiplies.
Creating Charts in Excel (pdf, 6 pages, 159kb)
An easy step-by step guide showing how to create charts using Excel, with screen shots and help tips.
Charts with Word and Excel.pdf (pdf, 12 pages, 332kb)
Explains how to create charts in Microsoft Word (6 pages) and Microsoft Excel (6 pages, with an exercise). Excel charts charts are created from worksheets and usually have titles, data labels, a legend, and at least one data series. Titles and labels describe what is charted. A legend contains labels that identify data series. The data series is a set of related data that is to be plotted. The three most common charts are bar, pie, and line.