SPREADSHEETS
Microsoft excel;
Microsoft Excel is a software application that is used to
organize, analyze and visualize data.
Workbook: an excel document is also called a
workbook.
A spreadsheet is a single page in a workbook.
A spreadsheet is partitioned into columns and rows.
The intersection of a column and a row forms a cell
(where data is entered).
Every cell has a special name called Cell Address,
which is the name or location of a cell, based on its
row and column. For example, B3 refers to the cell in
column B, row 3.
Active cell refers to the cell where data is being
entered
Data entry;
Spreadsheets are wonderfully versatile! You can enter all
sorts of data, including:
Numbers: For calculations, financial records,
statistics, or inventory tracking.
Text: Labels, descriptions, names, or categories.
Dates & Time: Useful for scheduling, deadlines, or
tracking events.
Formulas & Functions: Automate calculations and
data processing.
Boolean Values: True/False or Yes/No entries.
Hyperlinks: Links to websites or documents.
Images & Charts: Visual representations of data.
Drop-down Lists: Predefined options for data entry.
Formulas and functions;
A formula is an expression which calculates the value of a
cell. Functions are predefined formulas and are already
available in Excel.
The basics
All spreadsheet formulas begin with an equal sign (=)
symbol.
After the equal symbol, either a formula or function is
entered.
For example, cell A3 below contains a formula which
adds the value of cell A2 to the value of cell A1.
Using the colon (:) lets you get a range of cells for a
formula. For example, A1:A10 is cells A1 through A10.
Arithmetic operator Meaning Example
+ (plus sign) Addition =3+3
– (minus sign) Subtraction =3–3
Negation =-3
* (asterisk) Multiplication =3*3
/ (forward slash) Division =3/3
% (percent sign) Percent =30%
^ (caret) Exponentiation =3^3
Comparison operators
You can compare two values with the following operators. When
two values are compared by using these operators, the result is a
logical value—either TRUE or FALSE.
Comparison operator Meaning Example
= (equal sign) Equal to =A1=B1
> (greater than sign) Greater than =A1>B1
< (less than sign) Less than =A1<B1
>= (greater than or equal to Greater than or equal =A1>=B1
sign) to
<= (less than or equal to sign) Less than or equal to =A1<=B1
Comparison operator Meaning Example
<> (not equal to sign) Not equal to =A1<>B1
Text concatenation operator
Use the ampersand (&) to concatenate (join) one or more text
strings to produce a single piece of text.
Parts of a Functions
o Equal sign (=) – Indicates a function.
o Function name (SUM, AVERAGE, etc.) – Specifies the operation.
o Parentheses (()) – Enclose the parameters.
o Arguments (range or numbers) – Define the data to be processed.
Provides examples such as =SUM(A1:A5) and breaks down each
component
Some function in excel;
SUM: Adds up values in a range of cells.
AVERAGE: Calculates the average of a set of numbers.
COUNT: Counts the number of cells that contain numbers.
COUNTA: Counts the number of cells that text(string) or numbers.
COUNTIF: Counts the number of cells that meet a specific condition.
SUMIF: Adds values in a range based on a condition.
IF: Returns different values based on a condition.
VLOOKUP: Searches for a value in a column and returns a
corresponding value from another column.
HLOOKUP: Similar to VLOOKUP but works horizontally across
rows.
TODAY: Returns the current date.
NOW: Returns the current date and time.
LEN: Counts the number of characters in a text string.
INDEX: Returns the value of a cell at a specified row and column.
ICT NOTES MPH
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LEFT, RIGHT, MID: Extracts specific parts of text from a cell.
CONCAT: Combines multiple text strings into one.
COUNTIF: Counts the number of cells that meet a specific condition.
SUMIF: Adds values in a range based on a condition.
For example, cell A3 below contains a formula which
adds the value of cell A2 to the value of cell A1.
For example, cell A3 below contains the SUM function which calculates
the sum of the range A1:A2.
Entering a Formula
To enter a formula, execute the following steps.
1. Select a cell.
2. To let Excel know that you want to enter a formula, type an equal
sign (=).
3. For example, type the formula A1+A2.
Tip: instead of typing A1 and A2, simply select cell A1 and cell A2.
4. Change the value of cell A1 to 3.
Excel automatically recalculates the value of cell A3. This is one of
Excel’s most powerful features!
Editing a Formula
When you select a cell, Excel shows the value or formula of the cell in
the formula bar.
1. To edit a formula, click in the formula bar and change the formula.
2. Press Enter.
Types of operators. There are four different types of calculation
operators: arithmetic, comparison, text concatenation,
and reference.
Arithmetic operators
To perform basic mathematical operations, such as addition,
subtraction, multiplication, or division; combine numbers; and
produce numeric results, use the following arithmetic operators.
Arithmetic operator Meaning Example
+ (plus sign) Addition =3+3
– (minus sign) Subtraction =3–3
Negation =-3
* (asterisk) Multiplication =3*3
Arithmetic operator Meaning Example
/ (forward slash) Division =3/3
% (percent sign) Percent =30%
^ (caret) Exponentiation =3^3
Comparison operators
You can compare two values with the following operators. When
two values are compared by using these operators, the result is a
logical value—either TRUE or FALSE.
Comparison operator Meaning Example
= (equal sign) Equal to =A1=B1
> (greater than sign) Greater than =A1>B1
< (less than sign) Less than =A1<B1
>= (greater than or equal to Greater than or equal =A1>=B1
sign) to
<= (less than or equal to sign) Less than or equal to =A1<=B1
<> (not equal to sign) Not equal to =A1<>B1
Text concatenation operator
Use the ampersand (&) to concatenate (join) one or more text
strings to produce a single piece of text.
Text Meaning Example
operator
& Connects, or ="North"&"wind" results
(ampersand) concatenates, two in "Northwind".
values to produce Where A1 holds "Last
one continuous name" and B1 holds
text value "First name", =A1&",
"&B1 results in "Last
name, First name".
Reference operators
Combine ranges of cells for calculations with the following
operators.
Reference Meaning Example
operator
: (colon) Range operator, which B5:B15
produces one reference
to all the cells between
two references,
including the two
references.
, (comma) Union operator, which =SUM(B5:B15,D5:D15)
combines multiple
references into one
reference
(space) Intersection operator, B7:D7 C6:C8
which produces one
Reference Meaning Example
operator
reference to cells
common to the two
references
Inserting a Function
Every function has the same structure. For example, SUM(A1:A4). The
name of this function is SUM. The part between the brackets
(arguments) means we give Excel the range A1:A4 as input. This
function adds the values in cells A1, A2, A3 and A4. It’s not easy to
remember which function and which arguments to use for each task.
Fortunately, the Insert Function feature in Excel helps you with this.
To insert a function, execute the following steps.
1. Select a cell.
2. Click the Insert Function button.
The ‘Insert Function’ dialog box appears.
3. Search for a function or select a function from a category. For
example, choose COUNTIF from the Statistical category.
4. Click OK.
The ‘Function Arguments’ dialog box appears.
5. Click in the Range box and select the range A1:C2.
6. Click in the Criteria box and type >5.
7. Click OK.
Result. Excel counts the number of cells that are higher than 5.
Note: instead of using the Insert Function feature, simply type
=COUNTIF(A1:C2,”>5″). When you arrive at: =COUNTIF( instead of
typing A1:C2, simply select the range A1:C2.
IF FUNCTION
The Excel IF function is used when you want to test something, and
show one result if the test result is True, and a different result if the
test result is False.
The IF function syntax takes in three (3) parameters or arguments as
follows;
1.
logical_test: TEST something, such as the value in a cell.
2. value_if_true: Specify what should happen if the test result
is TRUE.
3. value_if_false: Specify what should happen if the test result
is FALSE.
Operator Precedence
Excel uses a default order in which calculations occur. If a part of the
formula is in parentheses, that part will be calculated first. It then
performs multiplication or division calculations. Once this is complete,
Excel will add and subtract the remainder of your formula. See the
example below.
First, Excel performs multiplication (A1 * A2). Next, Excel adds the value
of cell A3 to this result.
Another example,
First, Excel calculates the part in parentheses (A2+A3). Next, it
multiplies this result by the value of cell A1.
Copy/Paste a Formula
When you copy a formula, Excel automatically adjusts the cell
references for each new cell the formula is copied to. To understand
this, execute the following steps.
1. Enter the formula shown below into cell A4.
2a. Select cell A4, right click, and then click Copy (or press CTRL + c)…
…next, select cell B4, right click, and then click Paste under ‘Paste
Options:’ (or press CTRL + v).
You can also drag the formula to cell B4. Select cell A4, click on the
lower right corner of cell A4 and drag it across to cell B4. This is much
easier and gives the exact same result!
Result. The formula in cell B4 references the values in column B.
Comparison operators
You can compare two values with the following operators. When
two values are compared by using these operators, the result is a
logical value—either TRUE or FALSE.
Comparison operator Meaning Example
= (equal sign) Equal to =A1=B1
> (greater than sign) Greater than =A1>B1
< (less than sign) Less than =A1<B1
>= (greater than or equal to Greater than or equal =A1>=B1
sign) to
<= (less than or equal to sign) Less than or equal to =A1<=B1
<> (not equal to sign) Not equal to =A1<>B1
EXERCISE;
Open The Excel Workbook named Grade_8 in the folder named Activities
on the Desktop and answer the following questions.
1. Determine the answers for the following formulas
a) =F3+H3
b) =SUM(C2:H2)
2. Using a function calculate the AVERAGE score for Mischelle Sakala.
3. Using a formula determine the total score for each of the pupils in
the TOTAL Column on the spreadsheet.
4. If Ibex Hill School only admits pupils that score 400 and above,
determine using the IF Function the admission status for each of the
pupils using the values “ADMIT” and “REJECT” in the FILTER Column .
5. Enter your FULL Name in front of the cell named NAME: and save the
worksheet as [Your FullName]_Answers, e.g TOWERA
MWAMBA_Answer in the folder named GRADE 8 E in the folder
named GRADE 8_EXERCISE on the Destop.
ICT NOTES MPH
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COUNT Function
The COUNT function returns the number of cells in
a range or array that contains numeric values.
These values can be integers, decimals, dates or
even numbers enclosed in quotations. If a cell
contains text, blank space or any other non-
number, it is not counted.
Syntax
=COUNT (cell1, cell2,…) .
The parameters in the brackets are separate
cells that are separated by comas or can be a
range of cells.
COUNTA Function
COUNTA() function is similar to the COUNT()
function in excel, which counts the number of data
cells in a specific row or column. COUNT() function
can only count the data cells that contain numbers,
while COUNTA() can count text, numbers, symbols
and other characters in the data cells for a given
range in excel.
In simple words, COUNTA stands for “count all”
with the only exception being the blank cells.
Syntax
=COUNTA (cell1, cell2,…) .
The parameters in the brackets are
separate cells that are separated by comas
or can be a range of cells.
SUMIF Function
SUMIF is a formula used to add together the
values that meet a specific criteria over a range
of cells. The basic SUM function adds values in
a range of cells, regardless of what the values
are. With SUMIF(), a user can define specific
criteria that must be met for values in a cell
range to be included in the addition process.
Syntax:
=SUMIF (range, criteria, [sum_range])
Parameters or Arguments:
Range:
The range of cells that you want evaluated by
criteria. Cells in each range must be numbers or
names, arrays, or references that contain
numbers. Blank and text values are ignored.
Criteria:
The criteria in the form of a number,
expression, a cell reference, text, or a function
that defines which cells will be added. For
example, criteria can be expressed as 32, ">32",
B5, "32", "apples", or TODAY().
Note that: Any text criteria or any criteria that
includes logical or mathematical symbols must
be enclosed in double quotation marks ("). If
the criteria is numeric, double quotation marks
are not required.
Sum_Range:
The actual cells to add, if you want to add cells
other than those specified in the range
argument. If the sum_range argument is
ICT NOTES MPH
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in the range argument (the same cells to which
the criteria is applied).
Excel charts
Excel is a very powerful spreadsheet processor that can handle very large volumes of data any
organization. When the data volume is fairly small it is easy to make sense of the collections of
values, however as the volume of data increases in becomes very difficult to notice trends.
Excel charts are visual elements that enable users to easily illustrate trends, show changes and
make comparisons in a graphic manner.
Excel presents you with a variety of options you can choose from depending on the data that
you want to present.
Pie chat
PIE Chart can be defined as a circular chart with multiple divisions in it, and each division
represents some portion of a total circle or total value. A pie chart shows how some total
amount is divided among distinct categories as a circle (the namesake pie) divided into radial
slices. Each category is associated with a single slice whose size corresponds with the category’s
proportion of the total.
The figure below shows the device types used by OLACS staff.
Example pie charts
1. The pie chart below shows the how employees at OLACS travel to work.
Each value is represented by a particular colour do differentiate it from the other values.
2. The pie chart below shows the how much Mr. Hamamba spends his budget sport
allocation.
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