Ex Chapter 1 - Introduction to Excel Flashcards
Chapter Summary
Plan for effective workbook and worksheet design
Planning before entering data helps ensure better worksheet design. Planning involves stating the purpose, identifying input values, determining outputs, and deciding what data to add into columns and rows.
Explore the Excel window.
Excel shares many common elements with other Office programs, but also includes unique elements. The Name Box identifies the location of the active cell, indicated first by column letter and then by row number, for example, A10. The Formula Bar displays the contents of the current cell. Select All enables users to select all items in the worksheet. Column and row headings identify column letters and row numbers. Sheet tabs provide different worksheets within the workbook. Navigation buttons enable users to navigate among worksheet tabs.
Enter and edit cell data.
You can enter text, values, dates, and formulas in cells. Text aligns on the left cell margin, and values and dates align on the right cell margin. Values represent quantities that can be used in calculations. Dates may be entered in a variety of formats. You can edit or clear the contents of cells.
Use symbols and order of precedence.
he basic arithmetic symbols are +, , *, /, and ^ in Excel. The order of operations is the sequence in which mathematical operations is performed: parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction. Formulas start with an equal sign, should include cell references containing values, and should not contain raw values except constants.
Use Auto Fill.
To copy a formula down a column or across a row, double-click or drag the fill handle. You can use Auto Fill to copy formulas, number patterns, names of months, weekdays, etc.
Display cell formulas.
By default, the results of formulas appear in cells instead of the actual formulas. You can display formulas within the cells to help troubleshoot formulas by pressing Ctrl+`.
Manage worksheets.
The default worksheet tab names are Sheet1, Sheet2, and Sheet3. You can rename the worksheet tabs to be more meaningful, delete extra worksheets, insert new worksheets, and apply colors to worksheet tabs. In addition, you can move worksheets or copy worksheets.
Manage columns and rows.
Although you should plan a worksheet before creating it, you can insert new columns and rows or delete columns and rows that you no longer need. You can also increase or decrease the height or width of rows and columns to display data better. Hiding rows and columns protects confidential data from being displayed or printed.
Select, move, copy, and paste.
A range may be a single cell or a rectangular block of cells. After selecting a range, you can cut it to move it to another range or copy it to another location in the worksheet. You should ensure the designation range contains enough empty cells to accommodate the data you cut or copied to avoid overwriting existing data. The Paste Special option enables you to specify how the data are pasted into the worksheet.
Apply alignment and font options.
You can apply horizontal and vertical alignment to format data in cells or use Merge & Center to combine cells and center titles over columns of data. To indicate hierarchy of data or to offset a label you can increase or decrease how much the data are indented in a cell. Use the Wrap Text option to present text on multiple lines in order to avoid having extra-wide columns. You can further improve readability of worksheets by adding appropriate borders around important ranges or applying fill colors to cells.
Apply number formats.
The default number format is General, which does not apply any particular format to values. Apply appropriate formats to values to present the data with the correct symbols and decimal alignment. For example, Accounting is a common number format for monetary values. Other popular number formats include Percentage and Date. After applying a number format, you can increase or decrease the number of decimal points displayed.
Select page setup options.
The Page Layout tab on the Ribbon contains options for setting margins, selecting orientation, specifying page size, selecting the print area, and applying other settings. In addition, you can display the Page Setup dialog box to specify these and other settings to control how data will print. You can insert a header or footer to display documentation, such as your name, date, time, and worksheet tab name.
Print a worksheet.
Before printing a worksheet, you should display a preview in the Backstage view to ensure the data will print correctly. The Backstage view helps you see if margins are correct or if isolated rows or columns will print on separate pages. After making appropriate adjustments, you can print the worksheet.
