Spreadsheet Fundamentals and Formulas

Meaning of a Spreadsheet

A spreadsheet is a computer application that organises data into rows and columns, forming cells, and is used for calculations, analysis and presentation of numerical information. Examples include Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets.

Basic Terms

• Workbook – a spreadsheet file, which may contain several worksheets
• Worksheet – a single sheet made up of rows and columns
• Cell – the intersection of a row and a column, identified by a cell reference such as A1 or B5
• Cell range – a group of cells, e.g. A1:A10

Entering and Editing Data

A cell can hold text (labels), numbers (values), dates, or formulas. Formulas always begin with an equal sign (=) and are used to perform calculations automatically.

Common Formulas and Functions

• =SUM(A1:A10) – adds up the values in the range
• =AVERAGE(A1:A10) – calculates the mean of the values
• =MAX(A1:A10) and =MIN(A1:A10) – find the largest and smallest values
• =COUNT(A1:A10) – counts how many cells contain numbers
• =IF(condition, value_if_true, value_if_false) – performs a logical test

Uses of Spreadsheets

• Preparing budgets and financial statements
• Recording and analysing students’ scores
• Creating charts and graphs from data
• Managing inventories and simple databases

Summary

Spreadsheets make it easy to organise numerical data and perform quick, accurate calculations using built-in formulas and functions.