What is a Spreadsheet?

A spreadsheet is a grid that organizes data into columns and rows. Spreadsheets make it easy to display information, and people can insert formulas to work with the data. Excel and Numbers are spreadsheet programs for PC/Windows and Apple, respectively.

Building a Formula List

A Spreadsheet can be a convenient way of developing a list of math formulas and relationships that students can later use to review before a test or quiz.  The Column Headings on the spreadsheet can be topics such as "Linear Functions" or "Exponent Rules".  Each topic can be given two columns: one column for further details, or sub topics, (such as "Slope-Intercept Form" and "Point-Slope Form" for Linear Functions), and the other column can contain the formula itself. 

 

Students can be asked to maintain such a formula spreadsheet on their computers, and this can even be evaluated a few times during the semester by the teacher.  There is a down-side here in that certain math symbols and formulas cannot be entered so easily in spreadsheets like Excel.  For example, how do we enter subscripts and superscripts which are needed so much in math?  Students may need some tutoring in that (In case you're wondering how, go to Format then Cells and you will see options for subscript and superscript).