Office 2016 For Dummies

Chapter 8

The Basics of Spreadsheets: Numbers, Labels, and Formulas

IN THIS CHAPTER

Typing and formatting data

Moving around a spreadsheet

Searching a spreadsheet

Editing a spreadsheet

Printing

Everyone needs to perform simple math. Businesses need to keep track of sales and profits, and individuals need to keep track of budgets. In the old days, people not only had to write down numbers on paper, but they also had to do all their calculations by hand (or with the aid of a calculator).

That’s why people use Excel. Instead of writing numbers on paper, they can type numbers on the computer. Instead of adding or subtracting columns or rows of numbers by hand, they can let Excel do it faster. By using Excel, you can focus on typing in the correct numbers and let Excel worry about calculating accurate results quickly.

Besides calculating numbers, spreadsheets can also store lists of data organized in rows and columns.

Understanding Spreadsheets

Excel organizes numbers in rows and columns. An entire page of rows and columns is called a spreadsheet or a worksheet. (A collection of one or more worksheets is stored in a file called a workbook.) Each row is identified by a number such as 1 or 249; and each column is identified by letters, such as A, G, or BF. The intersection of each row and column defines rectangular spaces called cells, each of which contains one of three items: