Unit 01

1.1 What is a spreadsheet?

A spreadsheet is a computer program that can capture, display and manipulate data arranged
in rows and columns. Spreadsheets are one of the most popular tools available with personal
computers.

A spreadsheet is generally designed to hold numerical data and short text strings. In a
spreadsheet program, spaces that hold items of data are called spreadsheet cells. These can be
renamed to better reflect the data they hold and can be cross-referenced through row numbers
and column letters.

A single spreadsheet can be used as a worksheet to compile data for a purpose, or multiple
sheets can be combined to create an entire workbook.

Each column or row cell references a value and is labeled according to its placement (for
example: A1, A2, A3). Data can be exported as a CSV file and imported into other software
or vice versa.
What are some commonly used spreadsheet features?
The following are just a few of the features available in most spreadsheet programs.

Cell formatting

Within the spreadsheet, selected cells can be formatted to represent various numeric values. For
example, financial data can be given accounting formatting, which will apply decimal places and
commas to represent dollars and cents.

Formulas

Under the formula bar, users can perform calculations on the contents of a cell against the contents
of another cell. For example, if a person were using the spreadsheet to reconcile transactions, they
could highlight all the cells that need to be added up and insert a sum function.

Pivot tables

Using a pivot table, users can organize, group, total, average or sort data via the toolbar.

It's important to note that the exact tools and functions will vary depending on the application the
user chooses.

Common spreadsheet applications

Some commonly used spreadsheet software programs today:

 Microsoft Excel as part of the Microsoft Office suite and cloud-based subscription
service Microsoft 365 (formally Office 365). It is available for Windows, macOS, Android and
iOS.

 Google Sheets: Part of Google's web-based application suite, Google Workspace. Google
Sheets is free and also available as a desktop application for Google Chrome OS and assorted
mobile OSes, such as Android and iOS.
Difference Between Google sheets & Microsoft Excel :

Factors Microsoft Excel Google sheets

Developer Microsoft Corporation Google LLC

Launched in 1987 2006

It is part of which suite MS Excel is part of MS Office Sheets is part of G Suite

Ideal for low data volumes (less
Performance Ideal for large amounts of data
than 400,000cells)
Cost Require office 365 subscription Free for individuals

Cloud Drive One Drive Google Drive

Excel is a poor choice for Sheets is the preferred tool if you

Collaboration collaboration when compared to are expecting a lot of
Google Sheets collaboration for a project

Statistical Analysis and In terms of statistical analysis and Does not compete with Excel’s
Visualization tools visualization, Excel is unrivaled full set of analytics tools

Scripting Language VBA Apps Script

1.2 Expressions :

 An expression is a combination of values and symbols used to a new value

 It is a statement or formula which returns a value.

 When using a worksheet, an expression is entered in a cell and we will see various types
of equation

 As done with the other values we have used so far, to create an expression, you first click
a cell

 If you know the expression you want to use, you can type it either in the cell or in the
Formula Bar.

 In most of the cases, after typing the expression, you can press Enter (or Tab)

 In some cases, as we will see, you can click another cell whose value will complete the
expression
1. The Assignment Operator (=)
In order to display a value in a cell, it must be preceded with the assignment
operator, which is ‘=’.

Syntax: = Value or Expression

The operand on the right side of the assignment operator is referred to as the right
value or RValue. It can be a known value or a reference to another cell.

2. Unary Operators
A unary operator is one that uses only one operand. An operator is referred to as
binary if it operates on two operands.
i. The Positive Unary Operator (+)
ii. The Negative Unary Operator (-)

Negative Unary Operators Positive Unary Operators

3. The Double Quotes (“”)

Double-quotes are used to enclose a string. As we reviewed earlier, a string can be
an empty space, one character, or a group of characters. Such a string must be
considered “as is”. Therefore, to include a string in an expression, put it in double-
quote.
Examples are , “@”, “Naresh”, etc.
4. The String Concatenation (&)
The & operator is used to append two strings, the contents of two cells, or
expressions. This is considered as concatenating them. For example it could allow
you to concatenate a first name and a last name, producing a full name. The general
syntax of the concatenation operator is expressed as:
Syntax: Value1 & Value2
To display the & operation, use the assignment operator on left of the string. For
example, imagine you want to concatenate Dog to Cat and display the resulting
string in cell B2. In B2, you would type =”Dog” & “Cat” and press Enter. The
result would be DogCat.
 To concatenate more than two expressions, you can use as many & operators
between any two expressions as necessary. For Example, to add an empty space in
the above string, in a cell B2, you would type =”Dog” & “” “Cat”
5. The Addition (+)
The addition is used to add one value or expression to another. It is performed using
the + symbol and its syntax is:
Syntax: Value1 + Value2
For Example, to add 25.45 to 15.05 and display that result in cell E8, in E8, you
would type = 25.45+15.05 and press Enter
6. The Subtraction (-)
The subtraction is performed by retrieving one value from another value. This is
done using the – symbol. The syntax used is:
Syntax: Value1 - Value2
7. The Multiplication (*)
The multiplication allows adding one value to itself a certain number of times, set
by the second value.
Syntax: Value1 * Value2
8. The Division (/)
The division is used to get the fraction of one number in terms of another.
Syntax: Value1 / Value2
9. The Exponentiation (^)
The exponentiation is the ability to raise a number to the power of another number.
This operation is performed using the ^ operator. It uses the following mathematical
formula: yx
When the operation is performed, the value of y is raised to the power of x. you can
display the result of such an operation in a cell using the assignment operator as
follows:
=y^x
10. The Parenthesis Operator ( )
Parenthesis are used to create sections in an expression. This regularly occurs when
more than one operator is used in an operation.
1.3 Functions

Let us now move to yet another powerful feature of Excel, called functions. Functions are powerful
tools that help you perform complex computations easily and quickly. Functions are like
predefined formulas in which the user has to simply provide the values based upon which the
calculations are done.

Typically a function consists of two parts: function name and arguments. Arguments (or values)
may in some cases be mandatory and in some cases optional. Even within a function, one of the
arguments may be mandatory and another optional. Functions always return a result.

There are hundreds of worksheet functions that come along with your Excel package; we shall be
restricting ourselves to only a few commonly used ones. Once you get the hang of it, you should
be able to figure out the rest yourself without much difficulty. Excel also allows you to create your
own functions using VBA (visual basic for application).

1.4 Mathematical Functions

Excel provides many mathematical function for performing different arithmetical operation. Some
of the commonly used functions are explained below:

1.4.1 ROUND () Function

The round() function is used to round a number to a specified number of digits.

Syntax: ROUND (number, number _of _digits)

Other Mathematical Functions

Sr.
Function Description Examples
No.
Returns the absolute value of a number, a =ABS(-25)
1. ABS(number)
number without plus or minus sign 25
Returns the factorial of a number, equal to =FACT(5)
2. FACT(number)
number*number-1…*1 120
Rounds a number down to the nearest =INT(25.12)
3. INT(number)
integer. 25
MOD(number, Returns the remainder after a number is =MOD(13,2)
4.
divisor) divided by a divisor 1

=ROMAN(4,0)
Converts an arabic numeral to roman, as IV
ROMAN(number, text. From is a number specifying the type = ROMAN(-4,0)
5.
from) of roman numerical you want. Form take If number is negative,
value from 0 to 4. the #VALUE! Error
value is returned
Returns the sign of a number, 1 if positive,
=SIGN(-5)
6. SIGN(number) 0 if the number is zero, or -1 if the number
-1
is negative.
=SQRT(4)
7. SQRT(number) Returns the square root of a number
2
Adds all numbers in a range of cells,
SUM(number1, Number1, Number2, ... are 1 to 30 =SUM(2,5,8)
8.
number2, …) arguments for which you want the total 15
value or sum.
Suppose A1:A4
Adds the cells specified by given criteria.
SUMIF(range, contain 5, 4, 3 3 then
9. Sum_range are the actual cells to sum, if
criteria, sum_range) =SUMIF(G1:G3,">3")
omitted the cells in range will be added.
9
Truncates a number to an integer by
TRUNC(number, removing the fractional part of the number. =TRUNC(14.543,1)
10.
num_digits) Num_digits specify the position of 14.5
truncation
Note:

 An argument in bold letters indicates that it is mandatory; it must be supplied to view

the output of a function.
 Follow the steps explained for ROUND( ) function to work with the above function.
 1.5 Conditional Execution Function

Excel has several logical functions that allow you to test cells and perform different
operations depending on their contents.
 IF() Function
The IF() function is one of the most useful and powerful functions available in Excel.
Through this function you can conduct conditional tests on values and formulas and
execute some operation based upon the result of that text. If the specified criterion or
condition is satisfied IF returns a value T(for True) otherwise F (for False).
The IF() function enables you to specify two different calculation based on a certain
condition.
Syntax: = IF (condition, calculation if condition is true, calculation if condition is
false)
If the condition specified in the first argument is true, excel performs the calculation
specified in the second argument, otherwise excel calculate the third argument.
In this table below, suppose you have an experiment test result that allows you to
take a additional value 4. Specifically, if the experimental value 3 is higher the additional
value taken, then the adjusted value will be the average of value 3 and the additional value
3. If the additional value is not higher than the value 3, then their adjusted value score is
their actual Test value 3. The IF () function below performs this calculation to adjust the
score for the cells in column F.
= IF (E2 > D2, (D2 + E2)/2, D2)

Or = IF (D2 > E2, D2, (D2 + E2)/2)

The first argument, E2>D2, test whether the value 3 is better than the additional value 3. If the
condition is true, the second calculation is performed (the average of the two values, (E2 + D2)/2).

If the condition is false, the adjusted value is simply the actual value 3, D2 in this case.
  Nested IF Functions
A Nested IF function is an IF function within another IF function. Nested if
statements come in handy when we have to work with more than two conditions. Let's say
we want to develop a simple program that checks the day of the week. If the day is Saturday
we want to display "party", if it's Sunday we want to display "time to rest", and if it's any
day from Monday to Friday we want to display, remember to complete your to do list.
The following flowchart shows how the nested IF function will be implemented.

he formula for the above flowchart is as follows:

=IF (E1="Sunday", "time to rest" IF (E1= "Saturday", "party " "working day"))

Here, "=IF(....)" is the main if function

"=IF (..., IF (....))" the second IF function is the nested one. It provides further evaluation
if the main IF function returned false.

Example :
  COUNT()Function

This function the number of cells with numerical data in the argument. This function is
useful for quickly counting items in a cell range.

Syntax: COUNT(D1:D7)

The count formula counts the number of cells in a range that have numbers in them.

It only counts the cells where there are numbers.

 COUNTA() Function

The COUNTA() function in Excel counts the number of cells in a range that are not empty.
In other words, the only cells that the COUNTA function does not count are absolutely
empty cells.
Syntax: The syntax for the COUNTA () function is
COUNTA (value1, [value2], ...)
Where, value1, value2, etc. are cell references or ranges where you want to count non-
blank cells.
For example, to count cells with value in range A1:A10, use the following formula
=COUNTA(A1:A10)
The difference between COUNT and COUNTA

COUNT function counts cells that contain only numbers, but COUNTA function counts
cells that are not blank, including numbers. As Date and Time values are stored as serial
numbers in Excel so these values are counted in both of these functions.
COUNT function does not count logical values (TRUE and FALSE), but COUNTA
function counts these values.
Logical values (TRUE and FALSE) and text representation of number, like "5", are only
counted if these values are directly entered in COUNT function, but these values are
counted whether they are entered directly or as cell reference in COUNTA function.
Formula returning empty text string (" ") and Text values are not counted in COUNT
functions, but these are counted in COUNTA function.

]’

 COUNTIF() Function
If you are using excel very often at your workplace, then using, the countif () function may
reduce a lot of your work load.
Countif() is used when you want to count cells based on single condition and in single
range. The following syntax for countif () function.
Syntax: COUNTIF (range, criteria)
Parameter:
1. Range: Range to which the condition must apply.
2. Criteria: The criteria defines which cell should be counted and which not.

Example:-
 SUM() Function
i. This function is used to add all the values within a cell range.
ii. The Microsoft Excel SUM() function adds all numbers in a range of cells and
returns the result.
iii. The SUM() function is a built-in function in Excel that us categorized as a
Math/Trig Function
iv. It can be used as a worksheet function (WS) in Excel. As a worksheet function,
the SUM() function can be entered as part of a formula in a cell of a worksheet.
Syntax: SUM(number1,number2,…)
Or SUM(cell address : cell address)

 SUMIF( ) Function
i. The SUMIF() function is a worksheet function that adds all numbers in a range of
cells based on one criteria (for example, is equal to 2000).
ii. The SUMIF() function is a built-in function in Excel that is categorized as Function.
a Math/Trig Function
iii. It can be used as a worksheet function (WS) in Excel.
iv. As worksheet function, the a SUMIF() function can be entered as part of a formula
in a cell of a worksheet.
Syntax: SUMIF (range, criteria, [sum-range])
Parameters
1. Range: The range of cells that you want to apply the criteria against.
2. Criteria: The criteria used to determine which cells to add.
3. Sum_range: Optional. It is the range of cells to sum together. If this parameter
is omitted, it uses range as the sum_range.

Example:-
  AVERAGE( ) Function

The AVERAGE () function calculates the average of series of specified numbers.

This function is used to calculate the average of a range of cells.
Syntax: AVERAGE (number1, number2, ..)

Here in the example below, we will create a basic function to calculate the average working
hours of each employee.

 VLOOKUP Function
VLOOKUP is an Excel function to lookup and retrieve data from a specific column
in table VLOOKUP supports approximate and matching, and wildcards (* ?) for partial
matches The "V" stands for "vertical". Lookup values must appear in the first column of
the table, with lookup columns to the right.

Syntax: = VLOOKUP (lookup_value, table_array, col_index_number,

[range_lookup])

Parameters

1. Value: The value to look for in the first column of a table.

2. Table: The table from which to retrieve a value.

3. col_index: The column in the table from which to retrieve a value.

4. range_lookup: [optional] TRUE = approximate match (default). FALSE = exact match.

 Here we lock the cell by ‘$’ sign

 HLOOKUP Function
i. HLOOKUP is an Excel function to lookup and retrieve data from a specific row in
table.
ii. The "H" in HLOOKUP stands for "horizontal", where lookup values appear in the
first row of the table, moving horizontally to the right.
iii. HLOOKUP supports approximate and exact matching, and wildcards (*?) for
finding partial matches.
Syntax: =HLOOKUP (value, table, row_index, [range_lookup])

Parameters

1. Value: The value to look up.

2. Table: The table from which to retrieve a value.

3. row_index: The row number from which to retrieve a value.

4. range_lookup: [optional] A Boolean to indicate exact match or approximate match.

Default = TRUE = approximate match

Example,
Example: Using below table, find the Marks in SOM of B

Example: Using below table, find the marks in CTRCC who has got 22 marks in SOM