Spreadsheets

In class:

Administrative:

Students share their presentations at the beginning of the class.

Instructional:

This week serves as an introductory session to the basics of spreadsheet software and worksheets. Often thought of complicated software, over the years, spreadsheet software has become easier to use and much more powerful. One thing to keep in mind thought is that spreadsheets are NOT difficult. They just require a bit of time to understand the terminology and basic functions. Once understood, the user will find spreadsheets and exceptional tool for a number of tasks.

First spreadsheet software was VisiCalc which was later followed by the popular Lotus 1-2-3.
Most popular spreadsheet application today is Microsoft Excel (which began on the Mac OS)
Free spreadsheet software includes:
- Google Docs
- Open Office
- LibreOffice
- NeoOffice (Mac Only)
Uses for spreadsheet software
- From you past experiences, create a list of the numerous uses for spreadsheet software
Spreadsheet terminology
- Workbook – the entire document (.xls or .xlsx)
- Worksheet – tabbed areas containing sperate spreadsheets
- Rows - vertical (↑↓) and identified by the row number
- Columns - horizontal (←→) and identified by the column letter
- Cell - Intersection of a row and a column
- Cell Address - A1
- Cell range - A1:B3
- Cells contain:
  - Numbers - these are constant and are numbers such as quantity, value or cost
    - Math operations:
      - + will add numbers
      - - will subtract numbers
      - * will multiply numbers
      - / will divide numbers
  - Text - usually a title or a label that defines an associated cell
  - Formulas
    - Completes a calculation and places the results in the cell
    - Always begins with the equal (=) symbol, i.e. =5+.05
    - Formulas can contain real number, such as those found in the previous bullet, or cell references as in these two examples:
      - =A1+B1 will add the two numbers found in the reference cells
      - =A1*B2 will multiply the two numbers in the reference cells
    - Formulas can contain functions such as:
      - SUM to calculate the total of a range of cells
        =SUM(12+13+14) will add all the number
        =SUM(A1:A13) will add all numbers within the range of cells
      - AVERAGE to calculate the average of a range of cells
        =AVERAGE(12+13+14) will determine the average of the numbers in the list
        =AVERAGE(A1:A13) will determine the average of the number found within the range of cells
      - Review the Google Docs function help page for a complete list (many of these are identical to the functions found in other spreadsheet software such as Excel
- CHECK YOUR KNOWLEDGE:
  - Review the spreadsheet below and determine the value for each function (you may have to search the help page to determine what the function does):

THINGS TO REMEMBER:
- A blank cell will always return a value of zero
- Text found in a range of cells being calculated by a function will usually result in an error or be ignored

Selections
- Cell - click the cell
- Range of cells - click the first cell and then drag to the ending cell
- Row - select the number on the left-hand side to select an entire row
- Column - select a letter at the top of each column to highlight an entire column
- Multiple rows - select the first number of the row, hold the shift (⇧) key and then select another row to select all rows between the two selections
- Multiple columns - select the first letter of the column, hold the shift (⇧) key and then select another column to select all columns between the two selections
Formatting numbers and cells
- Cells are often formatted to create titles/headings or to make the data easier to read
- Use the ribbon, tool-bar, or context menu (right-click)
- Cell format:
  - Borders - add borders around the cell
  - Lines - add lines between cells, columns and rows
  - Fill - fill a cell or range of cells with a color or pattern
  - Merge - merge two or more cells to create a single cell
- Text format:
  - Font type - serif or sans serif font selection
  - Bold/italicize/color - choose one
  - Right/left/center horizontal alignment
  - Top/bottom/middle vertical alignment
- Numerical format:
  - Currency - includes $ symbol two decimal places
  - Date - specifies the format for a date, such as October 31, 2011
  - Time - specifies the format for a time, such as 23:00
  - Percentage - converts a decimal value to a percentage
  - Scientific - specifies the amount of precision for scientific notation

Video Series: The Excel is Fun Channel on YouTube an excellent resource for Excel tutorials and tips. For this hybrid section of the course, watch the following videos to give you an understanding of Excel and its basic use:

Online:

Complete the spreadsheets discussion on the course management system (10 points).
Complete the Farm Management Discussion quiz found in the Assessments area of the course management system (20 points).

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