Homework Help: Computers: Software: Spreadsheets

A spreadsheet program is an application which allows you to work with numbers easily. Calculations can be performed and their values placed in blocks called cells. These cells can then be used for other calculations. This activity will introduce you to a spreadsheet and show you some of its uses.

Important:Make sure you follow all of the instructions on this sheet as they are given. Do not skip steps, or you will not achieve the correct results.

1. The spreadsheet program that we will use in this class is Microsoft Excel. Load Excel from the Office Manager.
2. Open the file SS Intro from the Shared Folder. You will have to open it in Read Only mode, since you can't change things in the shared folder. Ignore the warning messages.
3. A screen should appear with a number of rectangles on it. Maximize this window.
4. The rectangles on the screen are called cells. The cells are arranged in rows and columns. Each row has a number, and each column has a letter. The upper-left cell is called cell A1. The ones to the right of that are called B1, C1, D1,... The cells below A1 are A2, A3, A4... You can move to different cells by using the arrow keys, or by clicking once directly on the cell to which you would like to move. Move to cell H1.
5. What happens if you press the right arrow? The screen scrolls, just like the word processor. Cell I1 appears. Notice that A1 disappears when you move to I1, because it won't fit on the screen. If you move back to the left, the cell reappears. You can also use the scroll bars to move around the spreadsheet.
6. In each cell, you can place one of three things. A label is some kind of text which identifies things in other cells. For example, if you wanted to put your name on the spreadsheet, you could type it in a cell, and it would be a label. Move to cell G1 and type your name.
7. Type today's date in cell G2 and your class period in cell G3. These are also labels. Notice that when you type something, the information you are typing is displayed in the line at the top of the screen. If the text is too long for a cell, it will overflow into the next cell.
8. Go to cell D4 and type CLASS GRADES. Make this title boldface by clicking on the boldface icon in the tool bar. Notice that this title spills over into cell E4.
9. We are going to enter test and quiz scores for the six students in the class. Numbers, like test scores, are called values. Values entered into a spreadsheet can be used in performing calculations. Enter the following values for each student. Remember to put one score per cell:

Name	Quiz 1	Quiz 2	Quiz 3	Test 1	Test 2
Bill	7	8	8	88	91
George	9	10	9	83	78
Ronald	9	8	7	73	74
James	8	9	8	74	0
Gerald	9	4	6	74	71
Richard	8	5	6	75	69

10. Notice that some other cells now contain values. The Total and Average columns now have numbers in them, as well as the Average row at the bottom. The Total column lists the total number of points for each student. The Average column gives each student's percent. The Average row gives the average score for each assignment. These numbers are all produced by formulas in the cells. Formulas compute cell values based on the values of other cells.
11. Move to cell G8. The formula there should be =SUM(B8:F8). This formula computes the sum of all of the numbers in cells B8 through F8 (B8, C8, D8, E8, F8). There are similar formulas for the other computed values.
12. Save the spreadsheet. You need to use SAVE AS... and save it in your folder (instead of the Shared Items folder).
13. Print your spreadsheet. Use PRINT from the FILE menu.
14. On the bottom of your printout, answer the following questions. You will need to use your spreadsheet, changing some values as necessary to find the answers. YOU MUST ANSWER ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS!
    
    1. What cell is to the right of cell Z14?
    2. Is Ronald a label, a value, or a formula? Why?
    3. Which student has the highest Average?
    4. James was absent the day test 2 was given, and he hasn't made it up yet. What grade does James need on the test to get an 86%?
    5. Can James get above a 93%?
    6. Gerald didn't do too well on Quiz 2. If he had gotten a 10, what would his average have been?
    7. As a whole, which activity did the class do the best on?
    8. What kind of calculation can we make with a spreadsheet to make this fact more clear?
    9. If a student skips all of the quizzes, but gets perfect scores on all of the tests, what will his or her average be?
    10. If a student gets perfect scores on the quizzes, but 65 on each test, what will his or her average be?
    11. How many columns are there?
    12. How many rows are there?
    13. What is mathematically significant about the number of columns and rows?
    14. How do you quickly move to cell A1?
    15. Where did the names in column A come from?

Homework Help: Computers: Software

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