EXERCISE 1: The Microsoft Excel Window

Objectives:
1. To familiarize with the anatomy of the MS Excel 2013 Window
2. To be able to enter data into a cell, edit this data and move around (navigate) the worksheet
3. To find out how to use some of various commands in the menu bar
4. To be able to enter and modify labels and values in specific cells or ranges
5. To able to protect a workbook from viewing and editing

Microsoft Excel is an electronic spreadsheet. You can use it to organize your data into rows and
columns. You can also use it to perform mathematical, financial, statistical, and engineering
calculations, to maintain a database, and to create charts and tables of all kinds.

When you open an MS Excel 2013 worksheet, you are presented with the Excel window. You use this
window to interact with the software—you type your data into the window and you use the window to
tell Excel what to do. The following are the elements of the Excel Window:

Quick Access Toolbar: In the upper-left corner of the window is the Quick Access toolbar,
sometimes referred to as the QAT. The Quick Access Toolbar provides commands you
frequently use. Save, Undo, and Redo appear on the toolbar by default. Click Save to save
your file, Undo to roll back an action you have taken, and Redo to reapply an action you have
rolled back.

Title Bar: In the top center of the window to the right of the Quick Access toolbar is the Title bar. The
Title Bar displays the title of your workbook. Excel names the first new workbook you open
Book1. As you open additional new workbooks, Excel names them sequentially. When you
save a workbook, you assign the workbook a new name.

Help Button: The Help button, along with several other buttons, is located in the upper-right corner
of the window. It takes you to the Excel help area. In the help area, you can search for
information on how to perform tasks.

Ribbon Display Options Button: The Ribbon Display Options button is located next to the Help
button. Use it to display the following menu options: Auto-hide Ribbon, Show Tabs, and Show
Tabs and Commands.

Minimize Button: The Minimize button is located next to the Ribbon Display Options button. To
remove Excel from view and place the Excel icon on the Windows taskbar, click the Minimize
button. To restore Excel, click the Excel icon on the Windows taskbar.

Restore Down: The Restore Down button is located next to the Minimize button. The Restore Down
button reduces the size of the Excel window. When you click the Restore Down button, it turns
into the Maximize button.

Maximize Button: The Maximize button fills your screen with the Excel window. When you click the
Maximize button, it turns into the Restore Down button.
Close Button: The Close button is located in the far right corner of the Excel window. It closes the
active workbook. When you click the Close button, if you have not previously saved your
workbook or if you have made changes to your workbook since you last saved, a dialog box
opens. Click Save if you want to save your changes, Don’t Save if you do not want to save
your changes, or Cancel if you have decided not to close your workbook. If the workbook you
are closing is the only workbook open, the Close button also closes Excel.

Ribbon: To tell software what to do, you issue commands. In Excel, you can use the Ribbon to issue
commands. The Ribbon is located below the Title bar.

Formula Bar: Optionally, the Formula Bar is found below the Ribbon. Use the Formula Bar to enter
and edit data

Vertical and Horizontal Scroll Bars: You can move up, down, and across your window by dragging
the icon located on a scroll bar. The vertical scroll bar is located along the right side of the
window. The horizontal scroll bar is located just above the Status bar. To move up and down
your worksheet, click and drag the icon on the vertical scroll bar up and down. To move back
and forth across your workbook, click and drag the icon on the horizontal scroll bar back and
forth.

Status Bar: The Status bar appears at the very bottom of the window and provides information such
as the sum, the average, and the count of selected numbers. You can change what displays on
the Status bar by right-clicking on the Status bar and selecting the options you want from the
Customize Status Bar menu. A check mark next to an item means it is selected. You click an
unselected menu item to select it. You click a selected menu item to unselect it.

Worksheet: Just below the Formula Bar is your worksheet. This is where you enter your data. Each
worksheet contains columns and rows. The columns are lettered starting with A to Z and then
continuing with AA, AB, AC and so on. The rows are numbered starting with one. Only your
computer memory and your system resources limit the number of columns and rows you can
have in a worksheet.

Cells: Worksheets are divided into cells. The combination of a column coordinate and a row coordinate
make up a cell address. You refer to cells by their cell address. You enter your data into the
cells on the worksheet.

Normal Button: The Normal button formats your worksheet for easy data entry.

Page Layout Button: The Print Layout button displays your workbook in such a way as to make it
easy for you to assign printing options and to see how your worksheet will look when printed.

Page Break Preview: The Page Break Preview button displays your workbook and shows where each
page begins and ends.

Zoom Slider and Zoom: The Zoom slider zooms in and out on your workbook. Dragging the slider to
the left zooms out, makes your workbook smaller, and allows you to see more of your
workbook. Dragging the slider to the right zooms in, makes your workbook larger, and
reduces the amount of your workbook you can see. The Zoom slider appears on the Status
bar if Zoom Slider is selected on the Status bar menu. The percentage of zoom appears to
the right of the zoom slider, if Zoom is selected on the Status bar menu.

EXERCISE 1

1. The figure above is an illustration of a Microsoft Excel Window, identify its elements.

It would take a large book to explain every item on the ribbon button. There are two ways to find
what various items do: using Help and experimenting. These problems are designed to encourage you
to try both ways. You should also learn how to use the Help command Index.

2. Construct a worksheet with the misspellings as shown in the figure below.

a) Use the Spelling tool to correct the misspellings.

b) Experiment with items on the Format menu to make the text: (i) in A1 italic, (ii) in A2
centered in the cell, and (iii) in A3 centered in the cells A3 and B3.
c) Click the Undo button. What happens?
d) Locate the Zoom tool and experiment to find its purpose.
e) Find a menu command with the same purpose as the tool just used.
f) Locate the Borders tool and put a black border around each cell in A1:A3.
 g) Select C1:C3 and experiment with the FormatCells command to find how to draw a red
border around the outside of C1:C3.
h) Select A1:C3 and experiment with the command EditingClearClear Formats to see what it
does.
i) Save your work as LASTNAME_EXER1 of file type Microsoft Excel Workbook
j) Protect your workbook using ChE193 as Password to Open and BSChE as Password to Modify.
How will you do this?

3. On a new worksheet enter 1234567.8 in A1. Observe how the column width is automatically
adjusted to accommodate the number. Using the Decrease Decimals tool, format the cell to show no
decimal places.

4. In C1:D1 enter the words: Acceleration, Velocity. The first word is truncated.
Use the mouse to drag the line between the C and D column headers and widen column C to have the
whole word displayed.

-END OF EXERCISE-