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Material Type: Notes; Class: Financial Analysis I; Subject: Agriculture Business Mgmt; University: Morgan Community College; Term: Summer 2004;
Typology: Study notes
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Introduction This study guide is intended to give basic background on the use of spreadsheets and provide a practical foundation for using spreadsheets in support of the business. In this study guide we will give an overview of why spreadsheets are so useful, a list of the essential things to know about spreadsheets, and do some activities to practice your spreadsheet skill. Spreadsheets have changed the world. If you are not already using one, you may be missing the boat.
Overview Successful business owners and managers use spreadsheets to answer specific questions and to make the business more profitable. Spreadsheets offer great flexibility in handling complex calculations that are difficult to do by hand. They have become invaluable tools in business for recording and manipulating business information.
The basic layout of a spreadsheet is like the rows and columns on a piece of ledger paper but the spreadsheet version extends much further down the page and to the right. Imagine a sheet of normal ledger paper the size of a blackboard, with hundreds of columns and thousands of rows, and you have an idea of the immensity of the spreadsheet environment. In recent years the most sophisticated spreadsheets, such as industry- leading Microsoft Excel, have expanded on the original ledger paper model and now include tab dividers at the bottom of the sheet to organize separate sheets into electronic workbooks.
Spreadsheets are more than an alternative to paper for recording information; they offer unique ways to manipulate and arrange information. This can range from something as simple as summing, averaging, or counting a column or row of numbers to making complex statistical or financial calculations like determining the payment amount for an amortized loan.
What if I don’t have the Excel Program? This information about spreadsheets is generic enough to apply to any sort of spreadsheet program. But it applies most easily to Microsoft Excel. Microsoft Works is an introductory program that may do everything that you need to it to. However, the more you work with spreadsheets, probably the more you will want to use a more advanced and professional program such as Excel (www.microsoft.com/office), or Corel Quattro (www.corel.com) or even Lotus 123 (www.lotus.com). If you don’t have Excel, 95% this information is going to be useful, but there may be some fine points that will not apply to the spreadsheet software you are using.
I have a Macintosh! There are not as many programs that will run a Mac, but Microsoft does have a version of Excel designed for Macs.
Essential Things to Know Spreadsheets are powerful and can be intimidating. We hope to provide a sound foundation for students to explore spreadsheets independently of their instructor. There are entire college courses devoted to learning spreadsheets. In this guided study we will concentrate on the most essential aspects of spreadsheets. These essential things to know about fall into five categories: terms, cell properties, survival commands, essential tools, and essential concepts.
A. Essential Spreadsheet Terms:
b. Alignment – This attribute controls how a number or text is displayed inside the cell. Left, centered, or right-aligned; vertical or angle alignment, word wrapping, etc. c. Font – This section controls the font, size and color of the contents of the cell. d. Border – The border tab of the Format menu controls whether there is a border around the cell, and if so, what style of line, and how thick it is, and whether the border is on top, bottom, left, and right, or some combination. e. Patterns – The patterns tab of the Format menu controls whether there is a background color or pattern in the cell. Typically a crosshatch pattern might be placed in a cell that is not meant to have a number. f. Protection – The protection tab controls whether the cell is locked or hidden when protection for the sheet is turned on.
C. Four Survival Commands:
D. Essential Tools:
E. Essential Concepts:
Test your Knowledge Spreadsheet Essentials Test Your Knowledge
Name _____________________________________________
Date__________________________
Instructions: This test will help you determine what you know about spreadsheets. Underlined items indicate the content of a spreadsheet cell. Follow the instructions for each of the sections below. This assessment extends to a second page. Good luck.
Multiple-Choice: Read the statement and select the best answer by placing the letter beside the answer in the blank space provided. Each question is worth 10 points.
a) range b) formula c) label d) value e) None of the above
a) 36 b) 18 c) 90 d) 3888 e) None of the above
True/False: Indicate whether the statement is true or false by placing a T or F in the space by the statement. Each question is worth 10 points.
____ Clicking on Format => Cells => Border allows the user to change the background color of the spreadsheet cell.
____ The formula =C$35*$A5G is a valid formula (in other words, it will NOT result in an error message).
Fill-in-the-blank: Read the statement and write in the missing word. Each question is worth 10 points.
The ________________ command is used to duplicate the contents of one cell or range once or many times.
The intersection of one row and one column in a spreadsheet is called a __________________.
Matching: Below are two columns. One column has a statement and the second column has possible answers to the statement. Select the letter of the item in the second column that best fits the statement in the first column, and write the letter in the space provided. You will only use four of the 10 possible answers; none of the answers will be repeated. Each question is worth 10 points.
____ The toolbar with the common commands such as File =>, Edit =>, etc.
____ Command used to change the name of a file.
____ Contents of a spreadsheet cell that begins with a = character.
____ The command to move the contents of one or more cells to the clipboard.
a) formula b) value c) copy d) cut e) status bar f) menu bar g) title bar h) File => Save i) File => Save As j) File => Exit