Spreadsheets

The purpose of a spreadsheet is to make models of real life situations. We can

ask what if questions or test our hypothesis by manipulating the inputs and
observing the outputs.
A spreadsheet consists of a large table. Each cell contains one piece of
information.
A row is a horizontal collection of cells and is represented by numbers.
A column is vertical collection of cells and is represented by letters.

Formulae
To get in to formula view press Ctrl +
A formula is a simple calculation in a spreadsheet. Formulae begin with an = sign
and consist of cell references and make use of (),+,-,*,/.
Formulae in Excel are automatically recalculated every time the input values are
changed.
C4 Input

B4 Input

Column
Letter

Simple
Formula

Row
Numbe
r

H9
Cell
Referen

Rules when working with spreadsheets

Always resize all columns when opening or changing view.

2. Double click BETWEEN any column

headings
1. Click to
highlight all
cells

If the save is .csv

then you have to
save it as Excel
Workbook or you
will lose all your

Functions
Functions are used to perform complex calculations which refer to RANGES of cells.
All functions have the same form:
=FUNCTIONNAME(RANGE)
Some functions may contain more attributes, For example:
=ROUND(M6, 2)
To use most functions you must understand RANGES. A range is simply the START
and END cell reference of a group of cells. E.g. M6:M12 refers to all the cells starting
from M6 and ending at cell M12.

This is the
range I6:M6

Functions VLOOKUP
VLOOKUP is used to find a piece of data in a table and will return another piece of
related data from a column you specify.

In the example above, we know the Form group, and we a table of tutors stored
separately:

So we can LOOKUP the tutor by finding the form in this table and looking one
column to the right.
VLOOKUP take the form:
=VLOOKUP(What are you trying to find?, Where are you going to find it?, How
many columns across is the data you want back?, FALSE)

MAX and MIN

MAX and MIN will find largest/highest or smallest/lowest number in a given
range.
In This example we will find the highest and lowest number in the range I6:M6.

SUMIF

SUMIF will add up all the numbers in a given range IF they match a given criteria.

SUMIF takes the form:

=SUMIF(Range of cells to look in, criteria that must be matched)
It can also be extended in the form:
=SUMIF(Range of cells to look in, criteria that must be matched, range to add
numbers up in)
This version will allow you to look for a value in one column and then jump
across to another column and add up values there instead.
Note: Criteria MUST be in quotes, unless it is a single number on its own.

COUNTIF
COUNTIF will keep a tally of how many times a given criteria appears in a list.

In this example, we want to count how many times the text ABS appears in the
range I6:M6.
Note: All text must be in quotes
Nested Functions (using Round and Average in this example)

ROUNDED AVERAGE
=ROUND(AVERAGE(I6:M6),0)
A nested function is simply where on function is used inside another. In this
example we calculate the average and then the answer to this calculation is
rounded because it is inside a ROUND function.
ROUND simply rounds a number to a certain number of decimal places and takes
the form:
=ROUND(NUMBER, Amount of decimal places)
AVERAGE does exactly what it says find the average of a range of numbers.

IF

The IF function allows TWO different outcomes, based on a rule. An IF function

takes the form:
=IF(RULE, what to do/ display if true, what to do/ display if false)

In the example above, the value in P6 (their total score) must be higher or the
same as the value in B3 (the score needed for a certificate). IF the value in P6 is
higher or the same, then the word Yes will appear in the cell. If the value in P6
is not higher or the same, then the word No will be displayed.
It is often a help to remember that you write an IF statement exactly as you
would say it in words:
If their test score is higher or the same as the pass mark, THEN say Yes,
OTHERWISE say No.
Note the key words IF, THEN, OTHERWISE.

NestedIF

Sometimes, we need to test more than one rule. The giveaway in the question is
the word AND.
The question here was A student is awarded a prize IF they have had a previous
certificate AND they require a certificate.
There are clearly two things to check here:
1. Do they require a certificate?
2. Did they have a previous certificate?
The way to answer these questions is to break it down (like above) in to
questions to be answered and then write an IF for each one. So
1. Do they require a certificate = IF(S6=Yes, , )
2. Did they have a previous certificate =IF(H6=Yes,

, )

Then we need to put them together:

= IF(S6=Yes, IF(H6=Yes,

, ), )

This means IF S6 is Yes then check if H6 is Yes. What to do if S6 = NO (they

do NOT require a certificate) We say NO because they will not get a prize. So
we have this:
= IF(S6=Yes, IF(H6=Yes,

, ), No )

Finally, we fill in what happens if they Do require a certificate but did NOT get a
previous one:
= IF(S6=Yes, IF(H6=Yes, Yes , No ), No )
In word this is: IF they require a certificate, THEN IF they had a previous
certificate THEN yes they get a certificate, OTHERWISE no they dont. If they do
NOT require a certificate then NO they do not get a prize.