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EXCELTUTORIAL

Thistutorialcontains7lessonsthatwillhelpthenonExceluserlearntoperform mostofthebasicExcelfunctions.Eachlessoncontainshandsonskill developmentpracticeactivities,whicharefoundinthecompanion excelbasicstutorial.xlsspreadsheet. (INSTRUCTIONSFOREXCEL2007AREIN BLUE,INPARENTHESES,LIKETHISNOTATION.READTHEPARAGRAPHTHAT APPLIESTOPRE2007EXCEL,THENNOTETHECHANGESINBLUE,ANDYOU WILLUNDERSTANDHOWTOCOMPLETETHETUTORIALIN2007.) Moststudentshavefoundthatthebestwaytogothroughthepracticeactivities istoprintthisExcelTutorialandhaveitbyyourcomputerasyoucompleteeach practiceactivity. Notetofutureteachers:Feelfreetouseanypartofthistutorialwithyour studentsinthefuture.Itwasoriginallydevelopedforusewithgrade212 studentsinmind.Obviously,someofthetexthadtobechangedforelementary students.BothwillbeavailableonmyWebsite,whichcanbeaccessedat www.wtamu.edu/~jrutledge.

Definitions.Lesson1
Beforecompletingthetutorial,theusermaywanttoreviewthesedefinitions, whicharealsocontainedintheUserGuide: 1. SPREADSHEETsoftwaredesignedtoorganize,manipulateandcalculate data.Thesoftwareisconfiguredinrowsandcolumnpattern,whichcreates cellsthatareusedtoinputdata.Inacell,calculationscanbeperformedon datafromothercellsusingmathematicaloperations 2. COLUMNTheverticaldivisionsofaspreadsheet,whicharelabeledwitha capitollettertodenoteeachrow,e.g.,columnsA,B,C,&D.AfterZ,cells begintobedenotedasAA,AB,AC,etc.andcontinuetotherightthrucell IV,or230columns.Thinkofcolumnsasthepolesthatholdupafront porchofahousetorememberthatcolumnsgoupanddown(vertical). 3. ROWThehorizontaldivisionsofaspreadsheet,whicharelabeledwitha numbertodenoteeachrow,e.g.,rows1,2,3,&4.Thefirstrowisrow1, andthelastrowisrow65,536.Theteacherprobablywillneverdoanything inExceltocausetheusertorunoutofrows. 4. ROWLABELSANDCOLUMNHEADERSlabelsatthetopofacolumn and/orrowthatidentifiesthedatainthecellsunderthecolumnheader and/ortotherightoftherowheader 5. CELLAblankspaceboxcreatedbytheintersectionofarowanda column,inwhichdatamaybeentered.Anyentryinacellremainsentirely inthatcell,regardlessofhowitappearsonthescreen.Cellsarereferredto byLetterandNumber,e.g.,cellA1,cellC8orCellIV65,536,thelastcellon thelowerrightcornerofthespreadsheet!

6. MERGECombiningtwoormorecellsintoonecell.Usedforheaders,etc. 7. FORMULAAmathematicalcalculationinacell.Forexample,iftheuser types<=SUM(+62)>inacell,andclicksenter,theanswer,<+4>will appearinthecellinplaceoftheformula.Ortheformulamayread <=SUM(+A2A3)>,andExcelwillsubtractthenumberincellA3fromthe numberinA2,andthetotalwillappearinplaceoftheformula 8. WORKBOOKAnotherwordforoneExcelfile.WhenanewExcelfileis opened,itwillusuallybenamed"Book1"untilitissavedunderanother name.WORKSHEETSpreadsheetswithinoneExcelworkbookorfile, whicharenamedSheet1,Sheet2andSheet3bydefault.Worksheetscan befoundatthebottomoftheExcelWindow,andcanbenamedbydouble clickingontheworksheettab.Mostworkbooksopenwith3worksheets, butthedefaultcanbechangedormoreworksheetscanbeaddedor deletedatanytimetoaworkbook 9. CHARTUsuallymeansaspreadsheetwithatitle,rowlabelsandcolumn headersthathasbeenformattedsotheviewercaneasilyreadthedatain eachcell.Chartsaresometimesreferredtoasgraphs,aswell 10. GRAPHGraphsarethevisualrepresentationofnumericaldata,most commonlypresentedasbar,lineorpiegraphs 11. GRIDLINESthelinesthatdefineacell.Thelightlinesthatarevisibleona newExcelspreadsheetdonotshowwhenprinted,unlesstheuseradds gridlines 12. RANGEreferstooneormorecellschosen(usuallyhighlightedor selected)foranoperation.Cell1:A2refers,ofcoursetothetwocellsonly, A1andA2.ArangeofcellsA1:B2referstocellsA1,A2,B1andB2,or4 cells. Inthistutorial,theuserwilllearnthefollowingbasicinformationthatwillallow theusertoperformbasictasksinExcel: q AboutWorkbooksandWorksheetsinExcel q UnderstandingCells q FormattingaspreadsheetforbothUtilityandAesthetics q WorkingwithDatainExcel(includesformulastheMATHthing!) q GraphinginExcel q SortingdatainanExcelspreadsheet q UsingExcelfordatabasefunctions(filtering) ThistutorialcannotbegintocovertheentirescopeofExcel,butitwillgivethe newuseragoodbackgroundtobeginhis/herexplorationofthisexcitingtool.

AboutWorkbooksandWorksheetsinExcel.Lesson2.
AnExcelfileisreferredtoasaWorkbook,andasweallknow,thatwhichisina WorkbookarecalledWorksheets!Therefore,insideanExcelWorkbookare spreadsheetscalledWorksheets. [OpenanewcopyofanExcelworkbook.] NotethatthenameatthetopofthepicturetheworkbookisnamedMicrosoft ExcelBook1andthenamesofthethreeworksheetsatthebottomareSheet1, Sheet2,andSheet3.Ifperchancethesheetsatthebottomandthescrollbars arenotvisible,clicktheRestoreWindowsquareintheupperrighthandcorner ofthescreen. Whenthefileissaved,theBook1orBook2filetitlewillchangetothefile nameunderwhichyousavedthefile. Mostblankworkbookshave3worksheetsthatareavailablebydefault.Clickon eachSheetinyourfile,andseethatyouareopeningidenticalblankworksheets withinthatonefile.TryaddinganewadditionalblankSheetbyclickingInsert, andthenWorksheet,andyouwillseeanadditionalSheetaddedtothebottom.To changethenumberofSheetsthatappearoneverynewWorkbookyouopen,click Tools,Options,andthenpickanynumberofSheetsfromtheSheetsinnew Workbookpulldownmenu. (2007:ClicktheInsertWorksheetIcondownatthe bottombytheWorksheets).

TheuserneedstonameeachSheettobeusedinaWorkbook.Tonamea Worksheet,doubleclickontheTab,andtypeintheWorksheetname.Trynaming yourworksheetsSheetsSheetA,SheetB,andSheetC.YoumayclosethisExcel fileanddonotsaveit,andcontinuewiththetutorial. [OpenthefileExcelTutorial]. YourExcelTutorialfilewilllooklikethis(below)whenyouopenit.Noticethe Worksheetsthearrowspointtoatthebottomofthefile.EachWorksheet correlateswithoneofthelessonsfoundinthistutorial.

UnderstandingCells.Lesson3
Thistutorialisdesignedforthestudenttofollowalongandcompleteavarietyof handsonskillsusingExcel.Topracticetheseskills,thestudentwillneedto downloadexcel_tutorial.xlsintheUnitGuide,savethefiletoaharddiskorfloppy disk,thenreopenitforthetutorial.Dothisnow. [InyourExcel_Tutorialfile,clicktheworksheettitledCells] Tounderstandaspreadsheet,theusermustunderstandthebasicterminologyof rows,columnsandcells.Openanewspreadsheet,andlookatitcarefully: q Rowsrunhorizontallyacrossthepage,andaredenotedwithnumbers q Columnsrunverticallydownthepage(likecolumnsonthefrontporch) andaredenotedwithcapitolletters q Cellsaretheboxescreatedbytheintersectionofrowsandcolumns Lookforthecellsthathavebeenlabeledforyou:A1,B3,D5,F8andH13.Clickin anyopencelltoseethatitiseasytotellwherethecursorisbecausethecellwill beoutlinedinblack.Alsonotethatthelocationofthecursorisstatedinthe NameBoxintheboxintheupperleftside. [clickontheworksheettitledTypeinaCellintheExcelTutorial] AkeyconcepttheusermustunderstandinEXCELisANYDATATYPEDINA CELLREMAINSENTIRELYINSIDETHATCELL,REGARDLESSOFWHAT APPEARSONTHESCREEN.InyourTypeinaCellspreadsheet,notice20or30 lettersinaCellB2.NoticethatthecharactersoverrunCellB2andspilloverinto CellsB3,B4,etc.Butnow,clickinCellC2,andtypesomenumbers,andyousee thattheextralettersinB2seemtodisappear.However,ifyouclickbackinB2, noticethatallthecharactersarestillvisibleintheformulabaratthetop(just undertheIcons)butarenotvisibleinthecell. ItisimportanttorememberthatExcelassumeswhentheuserentersanumberin acell,theuserintendsthatnumberisgoingtobeusedtomakeacalculation andiftextisentered,thattextwillbearoworcolumnheader.Excelalso assumesthatthe+,,*,/,@,$,(,),and=keysaretobeusedinmathematical calculations,andarenottext.

FormattingSkillsinExcel (UsingtheFormatMenu).Lesson4.
Theskillsinformattingaspreadsheetarethebasisandfoundationforallthe subsequentskillsuchasgraphingandcalculations.Theuserneedstoensure thattheseskillsaremasteredbeforegoingforward.

MEMORIZETHIS,ANDYOUWONTFORGETHOWTOUSE EXCELINTHEFUTURE:MOSTOFTHECOMMANDSTHAT AFFECTTHEAPPEARANCEOFASPREADSHEETCANBE FOUNDUNDERTHEFORMATPULLDOWNMENU(2007:THE COMMANDSTHATWEREUNDERTHEFORMATMENUARE UNDERHOMEANDPAGELAYOUTTABS.THERARESOME LITTLEARROWSATTHEBOTTOMOFTHERIBBONS, WHICHIFCLICKEDON,BRINGUPTHEOLDEXCELMENUS. UNDERHOME,LOOKTOTHERIGHTOFTHEWORD ALOGNMENTTOSEETHEARROWTHATWILLLEADTO THEOLDFORMATMENU.
[clickontheFormatSkillsworksheetintheExcelTutorial] ClickandstudytheFormatmenuforawhile.First,notethatthepulldownmenu containsthreesubmenustheuserwilluseeverytimesomethingisdonein Excel:Cell,RowsandColumns.Basically,justabouteverythingauserwould needtodointermsofformattingisunderoneofthesethreesubmenus.You neednotmemorizealltheseoperations,justknowthattoformattextand numbers,lookaroundintheFormatmenu. Onthespreadsheet,practiceeachoftheoperationsbelowbyusingtheFormat menus:
q

MergeCellsC7:D13(notethetermRANGE)together[Highlightthecellsto bemerged,andthenclickFormat,Cells,Alignment,MergeCells,andOK] NotethatthecolonbetweenC7andD13indicatesallcellsintheRANGE fromC7throughD13,(2007:MERGECOMMANDISUNDRTHEHOMETAB ANDTHEALIGNMENTRIBBON. 0 SlantthetextinthemergedcellsC7:D13toa45 angle[Selectthemerged cell,thenclickFormat,Cells,Alignment,thenintheOrientationbox,drag thelinetotheproperangleorentertheanglemanually,andOK].(2007: CLICKTHEORIENTATIONTABORTHEARROWTOTHERIGHTOF ALIGNMENTUNDERTHEHOMETAB.

WidenColumnBtoawidthof14andmakeRow15highertoaheightof30. [Format,Column,Width,enter14andOK].[Format,Row,Width,enter30 andOK]. (2007:CLICKFormatCellsundertheHometab) WrapthetextincellE15tofitmoretextinonecell[ClickoncellE15,Click Format,Cell,Alignment,thenclicktheWrapbox,andOK.Therowheight mayneedtobechanged,asperthe2ndbulletabove](2007:CLICKFormat CellsundertheHometab) ThenumbersinG4:G7havebeenformattedtoreflectcurrency,decimal, dateandtime.UsetheFormat,CellsNumber,Categorypathtochangethe formattingforeachcelltotheoptionsuggestedjusttotherightofeachcell [Clickonthecell,ClickFormat,Cells,Number,choosetheappropriate Category,andmakeyourchange(2007:UNDERTHEHOMETAB,USETHE NUMBERRIBBON) Thefontstyle,size,marginalignmentandbackgroundhavebeenchanged inthetextinH9:H11.Changeeachcellagainassuggestedbythecellto therightofeach. [ClicktheCell,clickFormat,Cells,Font,andthenchoose thefontstyle,etc.][FillcolorisFormat,Cells,Patterns,choosethecolor, andOK.][Right,LeftandCenteredtextisFormat,Cells,Alignment, Horizontal,Choosethealignment,andOK](2007:UNDERTHEHOMETAB, USEFONTANDALIGNMENTRIBBONS)

Thereisvirtuallynowayacasualuserwillrememberallthekeystrokes necessarytoperformallthefunctionsshownabove.Therefore,themessage

fornewusersisthis:TOFORMATTEXT,remembertoclickonthe targetcellorcells,clickFormat,andfindhowtodotheformatting fromthere. (2007:USETHEHOMETABMOSTLY)


Sofar,wehavelearnedtoformattextbyusingtheFormatPullDownMenu,but thereisalsoanicon(GUI)foralmosteveryfunctionthatislistedabove.Ifthe standard,drawingandformattingtoolbarsareopen,(View,Toolbars,theneither Standard,FormattingorDrawing)theusercanclickonacell,thenclickonthe appropriateicon.TrytofindtheiconsforBold,Italics,Underline,MergeCells, etc.(2007:USETHEHOMETABTOFINDTHESENEWICONSIN2007) Additionally,therearealsowaystochangeusedbyexperienceduserstoadjust thewidthofcolumnsandtheheightofrows. 1. Doubleclickonthelinebelowanyrownumber,andthecellheightwill changetofitthetextornumbersenteredORgrabthelinebelowarow, clickthemouseandholditdown,thendragthelinedowntomanually increaserowheight 2. Doubleclickonthelinetotherightofanycolumnletter,andthecellwidth willincreasetoaccommodatethetextornumbersenteredOR,clickon thelinetotherightofanycolumnletter,holdthemousebuttondown,and dragthelinetotherighttoincreaseacellwidth

Tryboththesemethodstoincreaseanddecreaserowandcolumnsize.

CONVERTINGASPREADSHEETINTOAPRESENTATIONQUALITY TABLE/CHARTINEXCEL.Lesson5
ItisimportantthatchartsmadeinExcelbeeasilyreadandunderstoodbythe viewer.Tomakeaspreadsheeteasytoread, 1. makeitaslargeaspossible, 2. usefontsandcolorsthatareappropriatetothesize,and 3. makesuretitlesandrow/columnlabelsareclear. Belowaretwospreadsheetsthatshow4yearsofTAASscoresforImaTellinU Middleschool.ThetopspreadsheetcontainsRAWdatajustasitwouldbe enteredintothespreadsheet,whilethebottomonehasbeenreformattedtobe easytoread. ORIGINALSPREADSHEETBEFOREFORMATTING

SAMESPREADSHEETAFTERREFORMATTING

[ClickontheFormatChartworksheetintheExcelTutorial] Makeyourpracticeworksheetlooksimilartothereformattedworksheetinthe examplebyusingtheformattingskillsyoushouldknowfromWord,suchasfont sizeandstyle,bold,etc.,andtheskillsalreadylearnedinthistutorialsuchas adjustingcellwidthandheight,andmergingcells.Additionally,thereareother skillsthatwereneededtomakethechartabovelookaestheticallypleasing: Gridlinesthedarklinesaroundeachcell.[Clickoncellsthatgridlinesare tobeaddedto,thenclicktheBordersIcon,andchoosethegridlinetype] (2007:USETHEBORDERSICONINTHEFONTRIBBONUNDERTHEHOME TAB) Toaddarow,[placethecursorbelowwherethenewrowwillbe,andclick Insert,thenRow][addingcolumnsworksthesameway,butwedonthave todothatonthischart].(2007:USETHEINSERTICONINTHECELLS RIBBONUNDERTHEHOMEMENU) (2007:FILLCOLORSANDFONTCOLORSAREINTHEFONTRIBBON UNDERTHEHOMEMENU

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WorkingwithDatainaSpreadsheet.Lesson6

AprimaryfunctionofExcelistoanalyzeandmanipulatenumbersandnumerical data.Thissectionwilldealwithcopyingcells,relativevs.absolutevaluesand formulas. [OpentheDataworksheetintheExcelTutorial] Whenanumericalvalueisenteredintoacell,thatnumberbecomesthecell valueofthatcell.Onyourspreadsheet,clickoncellB2,andnotethatthe numericalvalue100isinthatcell.Next,clickincellB4,andenter=B2andthen hittheenterkey.Youwillnoticethat100appearsincellB4,not=B2,becausethe cellvalueofcellB2hasbeenreferenced.Inotherwords,youhavekeyedina simpleformula:byusingthe=signinfrontoftheB2,youhavetoldExceltoput thenumericalvalueofB2inthatcell. CopyinganumericalvalueiseasyinExcel.Gobacktothespreadsheet,andclick onthe100.Nowcopythecell,andthenhighlightcellsF2:H2andPaste.Youhave pastedthatvalueintoothercells. Excelfillsinaseriesofnumbers(orotherrow/columnlabeldata)byclickingand dragging.Sayyouwanttoincreaseanumberby5:Thevalues5and10aretyped inCellA6,andB6.Next,highlightbothcells,letthemousebuttonup,movethe mousetothebottomrightcornerofcellB6(overthesmallblackboxinthat corner)untilthecursorchangesshape,clickthemouseanddragtotheright watchExcelfillinthetrend,countingbyfives. Thesameprocessworksforcolumn(androw)headers.JanuaryandFebruary aretypedincellsA8andB8.Followthesameprocessasaboveandwatchthe monthsfillintotheright.Thisalsoworksfordaysoftheweek,andotherthings. Excelalsotrendsarandomsequenceofnumber.NotethatinCellsA10:F12,a charthasbeenmadethatshowsthenumberofstudentsatWhyarewehereHS through2003,andhasblankcellsfortheprojectingthenumberofstudentsin comingyears.Excelwilltrendthesenumbers,basedontheprioryearshistory. Thismayormaynotbeaccurate,dependingonwhethertheTRENDstayedthe same.Totrendthenumbersout,highlightcellsB12:F12,clickontheboxatthe bottomrightcornerofcellF12,anddragthemousetocellI12.Presto!Youhave madeaprojectionforthefuturebasedonthepast!

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USINGFORMULASINASPREADSHEET.Lesson7
[OpentheFormulasworksheetintheExcelTutorial] ItisnecessarytolearntouseformulastounleashtherealpowerofExcel. Formulasaresimpleamatteroftypingininformationthateveryonelearnedin mathclass.InthesimplespreadsheetcalculationintheFormulasWorsheet,note thatthenumber37isinA1,thenumber3isinA2.Enterthisformula: =sum(A1*A2)inCellA3.WhatthisdoesismultipliesthecellvalueofA1timesthe cellvalueofA2.Pressenter,andseeifyougetthecorrectanswer111. AllsimplecalculationformulasstartwiththeUniversalFormulainExcel:simply the=sign,or =sum Thenopenparenthesis( thenthefirstcellreferenceA2 followedbyanoperand(+,,/or*) thenadditionalcellreference(s)andoperands,B2 thencloseparentheses) Example:theformulatoADD37and3onthetutorialspreadsheetwouldbe =sum(A1+A2)or=(A1+A2).OnyourspreadsheetinCellA3,trysomesimpletwo celladdition,subtraction=(A1A2),multiplication=(A1*A2)anddivisionproblems =(A1/A2). ExamplesofFormulasonemightseeonotherspreadsheetsformorecomplex calculations: =sum(a4+b4)/(b2) 2 3 =SUM(B4+D4) (D5) Note:afteraformulahasbeenentered,itmaylaterappearwithouttheSUM.For example=sum(A1+A2)mayappearas=A1+A2. Also,forasimplecalculation suchas=a1+b1itisnotnecessarytousetheparentheses,butgetinthehabitof doingitanyway,becauseitisnecessaryinmorecomplexformulas. (2007:USETHEFORMULASTABTOFINDTHESigmaCHARACTERICONAND OTHERFORMULATOOLSINCLUDINGTHEFUNCTIONICONMENTIONED BELOW) Toaddalongercolumnofnumbers,suchasthoseinColumnC,itwouldbe cumbersometohavetotypeinthecellreferenceofeachcell,sotheAutoSum featureisusedtoaddcolumnsorrowsofnumbers.TheAutoSumkeyisthe Sigmacharacter()(icon)onthetoolbar.OnyourTutorial,placethecursorin theCell10,wherethetotalwillgo,thenclicktheSigma(AutoSum)Icononyour toolbar,thentouchtheEnterkey,andtheCellsC1:C9willbeautomatically summed. TherearehundredsofotherpossibleformulasthatonemightuseinExcelin additiontotheSUMformula.Whilemostoftheseformulaswouldnotbeusedby

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teachers,someknowledgeoftherangeofpossibilitiesmaysomedayhelp teachers,especiallymathandscienceteachers,orteacherswhobecome involvedinanytypeofresearchorstatistics.Itisimpossible(anduseless)to memorizethelargenumbersofformulas,butfindingthemiseasy:first,place yourcursorinthecellinwhichyouwillperformthecalculation,theneitherclick Insert,FunctionorclickthePasteFunctionIcon( fn ).Next,youwillseethe PasteFunctiondialoguebox,whichcontainsallthefunctioncategoriesonthe leftandthefunctionnamesontheright.Topractice,clickCellC10,theuse eithermethodtobringupthePasteFunctiondialoguebox,choosetheStatistical category,andtheAVERAGEfunction,andOK.Aboxwillcomeupthatbasically asksifwewanttoAVERAGEcellsC1:C9,whichiswhatwewanttodo,soclick OKandtheAVERAGEwillappear.(Note:ifyouwantedtoaveragethenumbers insomeofthecells,butnotall,youwouldselectthecellstoaverage,thenclick OK).Now,trytheSTANDARDDEVIATIONcalculationinC10byfollowingthe samesteps:Insert,Function,Statistical,STDEV,OK,OK FormulascanalsobecopiedinExcelsothatseveralcolumns(orrows)canbe addedwithouthavingtotypeinaformulaforeachcolumn(orrow).However,this iswheretheuserhastounderstandtherelationalnatureofExcel.Lookatthe CellsE1:G4,inwhichthreecolumnsaretobetotaled.InCellE5,keyinthe formula=sum(E1:E4),andclickEntertototalthecellvaluesincolumnE.Or, usetheSigmafunctiontototalcolumnE. Now,tocopyaformulatoanadjacentcell,clickonceinCellE5,clickthebottom rightcornerofthatcellandholddownthemousebutton,andthedragthe formulatotherighttoCellsF5&F6,thenletupthemouse.Excelwilltransfer theformulatotheright,andaddthenumbersincolumnsFandG. ButwhywhentheformulainCellE5,=sum(E1:E4)wascopiedtotheright,did ExceladdupcolumnFinCellF5andcolumnGinCellG5?Thecopiedformula addedthecolumnstotherightbecauseExcelisrelationalinnature.Inother words,whentheformulainE5wascopiedtotheright,theformulaautomatically changedto=sum(F1:F4). Inthisexample,THERELATIONALNATUREOFEXCELallowedtheusertocopy aformulaatthebottomofonecolumntothenextcolumntogetthecorrect answer.CopyingformulastotherightincolumnsordowninrowsUSUALLY worksfine. However,BEWARE,becausetheRELATIONALNATUREOFEXCELcancause onetocopyanincorrectorunworkableformula.Lookatthelittlegradebookin I1:M7.Theteacherhasassignedpointsfortwounits,andaddedthetotalpoints forthreestudentsthen,inCellM2,theteacherhasdividedthetotalpoints earned,L2,bythetotalpointspossible,L7,(=sum(L2/L7)togeta"percentage" of0.84.Sofar,sogood.Butwhatwillhappenifwedrag(COPYBYDRAGGING) theformulainM2downtoM3&M4lookattheformulainM2andtrytoguess.

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ClickonM2,dragtheformuladowntoM3andM4.Whathappens&why?The copiedformulainM3is,=L3/L8,whichdoesnotworkbecauseweneededto dividethetotalbyL7,notL8.Examinethecopiedformulascarefullytoseewhat wasdividedbywhat,andyouwillseewhytherelationalnatureofExcelresulted inthewronganswer. Now,tomakeanyCELL"ABSLOLUTE"thatis,"fixit"soitisnotRELATIONAL putaDollarsign($)infrontofthecolumnletterandrow#(inthiscase,$L$7)that youwanttoremainCONSTANTinaformula.So,inCellM2,yourformulaneeds tobe=sum(L2/$L$7).(Note,youcaneitherrecopytheentirenewformulainthe cellM2,oraddthe$$signsintheformulabarbyclickingbeforetheLandbefore the7.)Enterthatformula,andtrythecopyprocessagain Acellreferencecanbemadeabsolute(asopposedtorelational)byputtinga$ signbeforethecolumnletteranda$signbeforetherownumberinaformula.In otherwords,ifyouwanttohaveaCONSTANTinaformula,puta$signbefore thecolumnletteranda$signbeforetherownumberthatyouwishtoremain constant,andthatwilloverridetheRELATIONALNATUREOFEXCEL.

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Lesson8:CreatingFormsinExcel
ItisrelativelyeasytocreateasimpleforminExcel.Suchformscanbeprinted andfilledinwithpenorpencil,orcanbecomedigitalformstofilledinwiththe computer.Morecomplexformsobviouslytakemoretime,buttheskillsarethe sameasforasimpleform. Usually,thebestwaytomakeaformistosketcharoughdrawingonpaper, widencells,raiserowheights,mergecellsandaddcellborders(gridlines)to completetheform.Withalittlepractice,itisprettyeasytobecomeaform expert. Inthetutorial,allyouneedtodoisfollowthesedirectionstolearntodoasimple form.Thetypingisdoneforyouallyouneedtodoistheformatting [OpentheFormsworksheetintheExcelTutorial] Followthestepsbelowtomake aforminExcel. o UseFile,PageSetuptochangetheorientationtoLandscape o Merge&centerCellsA1:I1Changefontto14IncreaseRowHeightto18 o Merge&centerCellsA2:I2Changefontto14IncreaseRowHeightto18 o WidencolumnsCthruHto14 o Raiseheightofrows4thru9to36 o Select(highlight)cellsA1:I9UsetheBordersIconandchooseAllBorders toaddblacklines Yourformshouldlookliketheformbelow:

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Ofcourse,asyoulookattheform,youwillseeanumberofcorrectionsand improvementsonecouldmaketoimprovetheaestheticsoftheform,butif youdidthistutorial,youhavethegeneralidea.Ofcourse,ifyouneedtomake amorecomplexform,youwillneedtoworkatitabittolearnhowtodothat, butthatisnotthepurposehere.Thetakeawayforthisexerciseisthatitis fairlyeasytomakeasimpleforminExcelofthetypeteachersoftenneedto make,simplybymergingcellsandusingtheformattingskillsonelearnswith WordandExcel.

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