Part IV:
Saving Money and
Working Smart
Basic Excel Handbook Page 38
Cumulative Fall and Spring Grade Point
Averages Using the Average Function
A formula is a worksheet instruction that performs a calculation. The Average Function is used to find
the Fall and Spring grade point averages. The Average Function adds the grades in the Fall or Spring
grading period and divides by the number of grading periods.
Follow the steps below to find the Cumulative Fall and Spring Grade Point Averages.
Complete Steps AI. Steps AD are shown below. Steps EJ are shown on the following pages.
Click the Function (fx) button.
Click in the cell where the
Average formula will display. In
this example Cell G1.
Select the Average function
from the Insert Function dialog
box.
Click OK.
Basic Excel Handbook Page 39
Click and drag to
highlight the cells that
need to be averaged. In
this example click on
Cells D1 F1.
Note the Average formula displays in
both Cell G1 and the Functions
Arguments Average Number1.
Click on the blue
Function Arguments
title bar and drag the
Function Arguments
dialog box down so that
you can access the data
that needs to be
averaged.
The colon (:) represents through.
For example D1:F1 means Cells D1
through F1 are highlighted.
Click OK or press Enter.
Basic Excel Handbook Page 40
Important: It is important that the formula is always placed in the FIRST ROW in order to copy the
formula to all the cells in the desired column. Do not be alarmed that Cell G1 appears to have an error
message, #DIV/0!, displayed. This message occurs because the Header Rows that contain both alpha
and numeric information have been averaged.
Highlight Column G by
clicking on G.
Click EDIT > FILL > DOWN to
copy the Average formula to
all the cells in Column G.
Do not be alarmed that Cell G1
appears to have an error message
(#DIV/0!) displayed. This message
occurs because the Header Rows that
contain both alpha and numeric
information have been averaged.
Basic Excel Handbook Page 41
Delete the #DIV/0! message in Cell G1
and type in the appropriate Header Row
title. For example Fall Cumulative
GPAs.
Note that all of the formulas have
been successfully copied to all of the
cells in Column G.
Basic Excel Handbook Page 42
Sort Alpha Data
Rows can be sorted according to the data in any column. For example, in a table of names and
addresses, rows can be sorted alphabetically by name or by city. Excel rearranges the rows in the
table but does not rearrange the columns. You can sort text in Ascending order (A-Z) or Descending
order (Z-A).
Follow the steps below to Sort Alpha Data.
Complete Steps AD. AC are shown below. Step D is shown on the following page.
From the Data menu,
choose Sort.
Click Continue with
the current
selection.
Click Sort.
Basic Excel Handbook Page 43
Column A is the column you wish
to sort by.
Click OK.
The column will sort according to
the first name that appears in the
cell.
Basic Excel Handbook Page 44
Sort Numeric Data
You can sort numeric data in Ascending order (1-100) or Descending order (100-1).
Follow the steps below to Sort Numeric Data.
Complete Steps A-D. Steps AC are shown below. Step D is shown on the following page.
From the Data menu
item, choose Sort.
B
Click Continue with the
current selection.
Click Sort.
Basic Excel Handbook Page 45
Column C, the column you wish to
sort by, is displayed here.
Click OK.
The Numeric Sort is
completed, and Column C
displays the numeric data in
Ascending order.
Basic Excel Handbook Page 46
Insert Date at the Top of Worksheet
When you want to repeat the same information at the top of each page, create a header. You can
select a pre-designed header from those listed, or create customized ones. A customized header is
separated into three sections: Left (text is left aligned), Center (text is center aligned), and Right
(text is right aligned).
Flip open a novel and look at the facing pages. Most likely, at the top of one page you'll see the
author's name and at the top of the other page you'll see the book title. At the bottom will be
consecutive page numbers. These details are in the document's headers and footers.
Headers and footers in Excel have many benefits, one of the major ones being automatic
renumbering of pages if you add or delete content in your document.
Follow the steps below to create a Header.
Complete Steps AF. Step A is shown below. Steps BF are shown on the following pages.
From the File menu, choose
Page Setup.
Basic Excel Handbook Page 47
B
From the Page Setup dialog
box, click the Header/Footer
tab.
In the Header/Footer tab, click
Custom Header.
Basic Excel Handbook Page 48
In the Custom Header dialog
box, choose the Left section
and click the Date button.
You also have the option to
position the date at the Center
section or Right section.
In the Header/Footer tab, the
Header displays the date.
Click Print Preview.
Basic Excel Handbook Page 49
Print Preview displays the
header on the worksheet.
Click Print.
Note all the options in Print
Preview: Zoom, Print, Setup,
Margins, Page Break Preview,
Close and Help.
Basic Excel Handbook Page 50
Insert Page Number at the Bottom Page
When you want to repeat the same information at the bottom of each page, create a footer. You
can select a pre-designed header from those listed or create customized ones. A customized header
is separated into three sections: Left (text is left aligned), Center (text is center aligned), and Right
(text is right aligned).
Follow the steps below to create a Footer.
Complete Steps AH. Step A is shown below. Steps BH are shown on the following pages.
From the File
menu, choose Page
Setup.
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In the Page Setup dialog box,
click the Header/Footer tab.
Click the Custom
Footer button.
Click OK.
Basic Excel Handbook Page 52
In the Footer dialog box,
click in the Left section
and choose the Page
button.
You can choose other buttons
(date, time, file path, filename, or
tab name), or to locate the data in
the Center section or Right
section.
Click OK.
Click Print Preview.
In the Header/Footer
tab of the Page Setup
dialog box, the Footer
displays the Footer page
number (1).
Basic Excel Handbook Page 53
Click Print.
Note all the options in Print
Preview: Zoom, Print, Setup,
Margins, Page Break Preview,
Close and Help.
Print Preview displays the Footer page
number at the bottom of this page.
Basic Excel Handbook Page 54
Print the Top Row on Each Page
It is important to have the labels for the worksheet to carry over to other worksheets so that the
data makes sense.
Follow the steps below to Print To the Top Row on Each Page.
Complete Steps AF. Step A is shown below. Steps BF are shown on the following pages.
From the File menu,
choose Page Setup.
Basic Excel Handbook Page 55
In Print titles, click Rows to
repeat at top.
In the Page Setup dialog box,
click the Sheet tab.
Click the row you choose to
print on the top of each page
and press the Enter key.
Note the Page Setup Rows to repeat at top toolbar
displays after clicking the row to appear at the top of
each page.
Basic Excel Handbook Page 56
Click OK.
From the File
menu, click
Print Preview.
Basic Excel Handbook Page 57
Page 1
Page 2
The Print Preview displays the Column
Headings on all pages after completing Steps
AF.
The Print Preview displays the Column
Headings on all pages after completing Steps
AF.
Basic Excel Handbook Page 58
From the PageSetup dialog
box, click Page tab.
In the Page tab, click the
Landscape Orientation.
In the Page tab, click Print
Preview.
Basic Excel Handbook Page 60
In the Print Preview, you have the following options: see the next page
of the worksheet (Next), enlarge the view of the worksheet (Zoom),
Print, access Page Setup (Setup), change margins (Margins), adjust
where the page breaks are by clicking and dragging with your mouse
(Page Break Preview), Close, or Help.
Portrait
Orientation
(vertical) printout.
Click Print.
Landscape
Orientation
(horizontal)
printout.
Basic Excel Handbook Page 61
Print the Worksheet on One Page
Overview: To scale data, reduce or enlarge information, use the Adjust to % normal size option on
the Page Setup dialog box from the Page Setup or Print Preview commands on the File menu. Use
the Fit to pages option to compress worksheet data to fill a specific number of pages.
Follow the steps below to Reduce Data To One Page.
Complete Steps AE. Step A is shown below. Steps BE are on the following pages.
From the File menu, choose
Page Setup.
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In the Page Setup dialog box,
click the Page tab.
You may also want to change the page
Orientation from Portrait (vertical) to
Landscape (horizontal).
In the Scaling option, Adjust to
50%, rather than the default
100% normal size setting.
50
Click Print Preview.
Basic Excel Handbook Page 63
Before scaling the data, only Columns A-G
would fit on a page.
After reducing the data, there are more
columns included on the worksheet
printout (Columns A-N)
Click Print.
Basic Excel Handbook Page 64
Preview Worksheet Without Printing
Why use Print Preview before printing my worksheet? Print Preview permits you to view the output
before you print, and the use of this feature will save ink and paper.
Follow the step below to Preview You Worksheet(s).
Complete Step A as shown below.
In the Formatting toolbar,
click the Print Preview
button.
Basic Excel Page 65
In the Print Preview, you have the following options: see the next
page of the worksheet (Next), enlarge the view of the worksheet
(Zoom), Print, access Page Setup (Setup), change margins (Margins),
adjust where the page breaks are by clicking and dragging with your
mouse (Page Break Preview), Close, or Help.
Basic Excel Page 66
