Computing Fundamentals

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Application Software - Spreadsheet

Module 005 Spreadsheet Program

At the end of this module you are expected to:

1. Define and differentiate the term worksheet and spreadsheet.
2. Identify the four types of data that can be entered in a worksheet.
3. Explain how can addresses are used in spreadsheet programs.
4. Explain what formula is and how formula can be used in spreadsheet
program.
5. Used three types of data-analysis tools commonly found in spreadsheet
and describe their uses.

Spreadsheet Program and Their Uses

A spreadsheet program is a software tool for entering, calculating, manipulating and

analyzing sets of numbers. Spreadsheets have a wide range of uses-form family budgets to
corporate earnings statements. You can set up a spreadsheet to show information in
numerous ways, such as the traditional row-and-column format or a slick report with
headings and chart.

The Spreadsheet Interface

Like a word processing program, a spreadsheet program lets you work in a main
document area (also called document window), which displays your data in various ways. In
a spreadsheet program, you actually work in a document called a worksheet (or a sheet),
and you can collect related worksheet in a workbook (which is called notebook in some
programs). Worksheet can be named, and a workbook can contain as many individual
worksheet as you system resource will allow.

A typical spreadsheet I also interface also provides a main menu bar, toolbars, a
special formula bar, where you can create or edit data and formulas in the worksheet.
Scroll bars help you navigate a large worksheet, and at the bottom of the window, a status
bar tells you specific information about the worksheet.

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 Menu Bar

Formula
Bar

Toolbars

Worksheet
Area Scroll Bar

Status Bar

An empty worksheet (one without any data) looks like a grid of rows and columns. The
intersection of any column and row is called a cell. You interact with a spreadsheet primarily
by entering data into individual cells. A typical worksheet contains thousands of individuals
cells.

Cell
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Entering Data in a Worksheet

A worksheet can hold several types of data, including labels (ordinary text), values
(numbers), dates and formulas (statements that perform a calculation). Cells also can hold
graphics, audio files, and video or animation files. To the spreadsheet program, each type of
data has a particular use and is handled in unique manner.

Entering data in worksheet is simple. Using the mouse or arrow key, you select a cell
to make it active. The active cell is indicated by a cell pointer, a rectangle that makes the
active cells borders look bold.

To navigate the worksheet, you need to understand its system of cell addresses. All
spreadsheets use row and column identifiers as the basis for their cell addresses. If you are
working in the cell where column B intersect with row 3, for example then the active cell
address is B3.

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 Cell Address = B3

When you have selected a cell, you simply type the data into it. When a cell is active, you also
can type its data into the formula bar. The formula bar is handy, because it displays much
more data than the cell can. If a cell already contains data, you can edit it in formula bar.
You can also use the spreadsheets cut, copy and paste feature to duplicate and move
data to various parts of the worksheet. These features work among the different sheets in
workbook, form one workbook to another, and between the spreadsheet and other
application.

Labels

Worksheet can contain text-called labels (name for data values)-as well as values
and formulas. In spreadsheets, text usually is used to identify a value or series of values (as
in row or column heading), or to describe the content of a specific cell (such as total). Labels
help you make sense of a worksheet contents. It is important to remember that values and
formulas can be used in calculations, but labels cannot.

Labels
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To make the label EXPENSES bold click the EXPENSES cell to make it active  then
click the B icon in the toolbar represent by Bold. To my the label BILLS color RED and BOLD,
follow the steps in making the EXPENSES bold then for RED label click the label BILLS to
make it active  then click the A symbol in the toolbar with color in the bottom  choose
the color red. By default the color of the text is set to black.

Values

In a spreadsheet, a value is any number you enter or number that results from a
computation. You might enter series of values in a column so that you can total them. Or you
might enter several different numbers that are part of an elaborate calculation. Spreadsheets
can work with whole numbers, decimals, negative numbers, currency, and other types of
values, including scientific notation.

Values

To format the values like adding a comma in decimal place to make it more presentable Click
the column for the VALUES  Right click  then choose FORMAT CELLS. See image below
for example.

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After click the FORMAT CELLS a new window will appear. From the category choose
NUMBER  Type in the decimal place that you want to appear, as shown on the example
below it is set to 2  Click the Use 1000 Separator for the comma  then click OK. See image
below for example.
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Application Software - Spreadsheet

Following the steps in formatting the values would result to the image as shown below.
Changing the font style, font color and etc is the same process in changing the values.

Dates

Dates are necessary part of most worksheets, and spreadsheet programs can work
with date information in many ways. A date maybe added to a worksheet simply to indicate
when it was created. Spreadsheets also can use dates in performing calculations, as when
calculating late payments on a loan. If the spreadsheet knows the payments due date , it can
calculate late fees based on the dates.

Date
s

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Formulas

The power of the spreadsheet lies in formulas, which calculate numbers based on
values or formulas in other cells. You can create many kinds of formulas manually to do basic
arithmetic operations.

Spreadsheets make it simple to perform calculations on a set of numbers. Suppose,

for example that the manager of a real state office wants to calculate the commissions paid
to agents over a specific time period.

Step 2

Step 1

For example if you wanted to compute the total amount of expenses, from the total cell click the equal
sign symbol (=) as shown on the step 1 then on the address bar type sum as shown on the step 2.
Typing sum will help your show all the available formulas in excel.

Step 3

After choosing the sum as shown on the step 2 click the “rent house cell value = 3500”, then
drag the icon up to “personal expense value”. Or from the formula bar inside the open and
close parentheses type B4 which means the starting cell to sum up then colon followed by
B7. B4 and B7 represents the start and end of the value that you wanted to sum up. Click the
enter on the keyboard will results to a computed value as shown below.
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Application Software - Spreadsheet

The total
value

Functions

Spreadsheet come with many built in formula, called functions that perform
specialized calculations automatically. You can include these functions in your own formulas.
Some functions are simple, such as the COUNT function, which counts many values are in a
range of cells. Many functions are complex. You may not know the mathematical equations
for a loan payment or the depreciation of an asset using double declining method. By using
spreadsheet functions, however, you can arrive at the answer.

You add arguments within the parentheses of the functions. Arguments are the
values (often called cell reference) that the function uses in its operation. The number and
type of arguments used depend on the functions.

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To view the available functions type equal sign (=) on the address bar select the dropdown
list and click More Functions.

Entering and Formatting a Worksheet

After a worksheet has been created, anything in it can be edited. Like a word
processors, a spreadsheet programs are extremely accommodating when you want to make
the desired changes. You can manually edit any part of a formula or a function, simply by
selecting its cell and making you changes in the formula bar.
Spreadsheet program makes it easy to move, copy or delete the contents of the cells.
You also can insert or delete rows and column. You can add new sheets to a workbook file or
delete worksheets you no longer need.

Spreadsheet programs offer numerous formats specifically for numbers. Numbers

appear as dollars, cents, percentages, dates times and fractions. They can be shown with or
without commas, decimal points and so forth. In addition to numbers formats, spreadsheets
offer a choice of fonts and type style, shadowed borders and more. You can also create a
special effect by adding graphics, such as clip art, to your worksheets.

This menu will allow you merge cells, wrap the text in a cell or change the values like $,% and
the like.

This menu will allow you to use the advance formatting in excel like formatting the cell
depending on a range, on a value or depending on the inputs that you will identify. Example
if all cell are blank or no value that should have an automatic color of red.

Using this menu is like using formatting a word file, you can change the text style, type and
color. Change the size etc.
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Application Software - Spreadsheet

Adding Charts

A popular feature of spreadsheet software is the ability to generate charts based on

numeric data. Charts make data easier to understand-for example, when presenting data to
an audience. You often will see charts in business presentations, yet rarely will see the
worksheets used to create the charts.

With spreadsheets, creating a chart is simple. With just a few mouse click. Select the
data you want to chart, select a chart type (bar chart, pie chart, line chart or scatter chart),
and set the desired chart options. After the chart is created, you can continue to adjust its
appearance using a set of special chart tools.

Step 2

Step 1

To insert a chart – highlight the values that you wanted to have a chart presentation see step
1  choose Chart see step 2  choose a chart type from the available charts as shown in the
figure above. Below is the output after inserting a chart.

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 Analyzing Data in a Spreadsheet

You can use a worksheet to analyze data. Most spreadsheet programs enable you to
use three useful techniques.
1. Analysis is the process of using spreadsheet to test how alternative scenarios affect
numeric results. All spreadsheet allow you to do simple analysis. You can easily
change one part of formula or a cell that it refers to see how that changed affect the
rest of the worksheets. A more sophisticated type of analysis is a table that
automatically calculates the results based on any number of assumptions.
2. Goal Seeking finds values for one or more cells that make the results of a formula
equal to a value you specify.
3. Sorting is another data-analysis tool. When you sort data, you arrange it in a specific
manner based on certain criteria, such as by date, dollar amount, or alphabetically.
After data is sorted, it may be easier to perform calculations on the results.
Summary

 Spreadsheet program provide tools for working with numerical data.

 In addition to standard interface components, a spreadsheet also provides a formula bar
where you can enter, view and edit data.
 In a spreadsheet program, you work in a worksheet. Worksheet can be collected into groups
called workbooks.
 A worksheet contains series of columns and rows. Each row and column intersection is called
a cell. Cells contain the data in the worksheet.
 Each cell is identified by a cell address, which is the combination of the column letter and
row number.
 You can enter text, values, dates and formulas in the cells of a worksheet.
 Formulas are used to perform calculations in the worksheets. Formulas can use cell
references to use data in other cells.
 A function is predefined formula provided by the spreadsheet program.
 Values and dates are formatted in various ways.
 Spreadsheet programs provide charting tools that enable you to create graphical
representations of your data. To create chart, select the data to be charted, select a chart type,
and set the desired chart options. The spreadsheet program creates a chart for you.
 Spreadsheets are useful for analyzing your data. Analysis can help you reach a desired
numeric result. A analysis lets you test different scenarios to see how each effects the results
of a calculation. Goal seeking and sorting are other common data analysis tools found in
spreadsheets.

<Figure 1. This is a sample caption>

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References and Supplementary Materials

Books and Journals
1. Denning, Peter J.; Martell, Craig H. (2015). Great principles of computing MIT Press
QA 76 D3483 2015
2. Oleary, Timothy J. (2015). Computing essentials: making IT work for you. QA 76.5 O42
2011
Oleary, Timothy J.; Oleary, Linda I. (2015). Computing essentials 2014 : making it
work for you WLB McGrawhill QA 76 O54 2014
Online Supplementary Reading Materials
1. A brief history od computer;
http://people.bu.edu/baws/brief%20computer%20history.html; August 2, 2018
2. Computer basics; https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/computerbasics/basic-parts-of-a-
computer/1/ ; August 3, 2018
3. Central Processing Unit;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/ict/hardware/0inputandoutputdevicesr
ev3.shtml ; August 3, 2016
Online Instructional Videos
1. The components of computer and their function;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC_fOWfmtPA; August 3, 2018
2. Computer hardware and software; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UyJMiYqvs4
; August 3, 2018
3. History and generations of computers;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrUvFJWlYCY; August 3, 2018
4. Generations of computers; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTc4kIVUnoA ;
August 3, 2018
5. The central processing unit; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZGugFqdr60 ;
August 2, 2018

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