Starting a Workbook

Definition of Terms

The Workbook - The workbook is like a notebook. The workbook contains sheets, called worksheets. Each
worksheet can contain sets of data and charts. Each sheet name appears on a sheet tab at the bottom of the
workbook. You access different worksheets by clicking the sheet tab or using the tab scrolling buttons to the left of
the sheet tabs. A new workbook opens with 3 worksheets. However, the number of worksheets per workbook is
limited only by the amount of memory on your computer. Several workbooks may be open at one time.
The Worksheet The worksheet is organized into a rectangular grid with 256 columns and 65,536 rows. A column
letter above the grid, also called a column heading, identifies each column with the letters A through IV. A row
number on the left side of the grid, also called the row heading, identifies each row with the numbers 1 through
65536. Scroll bar and to display more sheet tabs.
The Worksheet Window - of the 16,777,216 possible cells in a worksheet, only a small fraction of the active
worksheet displays on the screen at one time. You view the portion of the worksheet on the screen in a worksheet
window. Below and to the right of the worksheet window are scroll bars, scroll arrows, and scroll boxes which you
can use to move around the active worksheet.
Cells - The workbook is made up of cells. There is a cell at the intersection of each row and column. A cell can
contain a value, a formula, or a text entry. A text entry is used to label or explain the contents of the workbook. A
value entry can either be a constant or the value of a formula. The value of a formula will change when the
components (arguments) of the formula change. The appeal of spreadsheet programs is the ability to change one
value and watch all other values that depend on that first value automatically change when the spreadsheet is
recalculated.
Cell references - are the combination of column letter and row number. For example, the upper-left cell of a
worksheet is A1

Operators - In an = (Formula) field, you can use any combination of values and the following mathematical and
relational operators such as +, -, *, /, %, =, <>, <, > etc.

Types of Data

There are several data you can enter in a cell. These are the following data
1. Textual – letter of the alphabet from A…..IV
2. Numeric – all kinds of numbers that you enter in your data
3. Floating – Number with decimal places
4. Formula – Set of numbers and operators with arguments and references that can be calculated and yield
results.
5. Object – object or graphics that you used in your data
6. Clip art and picture – this are pictures and clippings that you include in your data.

Entering Data

In this lesson will focus on how to enter data in Microsoft Excel. What is the basic information that we
should know before we can generate result for our problem. Cell Referencing is being use during the computation.
When we say cell referencing it is a combination of columns and rows that identifies the location of the number.
Example of cell references are A1, B1, C1, and D1………. Below is a sample table. Let us identify the cell
reference of each number. The cell reference is a combination of the column letter and row number -- such as A1,
B3, or C4 When writing cell references the column letter always comes first.

9
10
1. 1 = a1 or A1
2. 2 = b1 or B1
3. 3 = c1 or C1
4. 4 = d1 or D1
5. 5 = e1 or E1
6. 6 = a2 or A2

7. 7 = b2 or B2
8. 8 = c2 or C2
9. 9 = d2 or D2
10. 10 = e2 or E2

11
 Looking at our table we were able to identify the cell reference of each number. How did we get the cell
reference of each number? Here are the steps

1. First, identify the column heading from the cell.

Ex. A, B, C, D, E
2. Second, Identify the row heading for the cell
Ex. 1, 2 and 3 ……..
3. Then combined the column heading and row heading. Column letter always comes first before the row.
Ex A1, A2, B1 and B2 ……..

4. In our table number 9 has a cell reference of D2.

D- Column
2 – Row the cell reference of 9 is D2 or d2

Writing a Formula

Writing formula in Microsoft Excel is quite different from the usual methods that we learn from our math
subjects. Usually when we solve problems in math we put an equal sign (=) after the equation. In Excel, formulas
starts with the equal sign (=) followed by the equation, that tells Microsoft Excel what follows is part of a formula,
and not just a name or a number. Example =2*3, =5-5. The equal sign is important in order for Microsoft Excel to
generate a result.

Table4.1: With Equal Symbol

1. Table4.1 shows that the presence of the equal sign

(=) Excel was able to generate the total of the
numbers 12, 14, 15 which is 41.

Table 4.2: Without Equal symbol

Table4. 2 to shows that with the absence of equal sign Excel

will not generate a result.

Calculate Numbers and Generate Result

How does Microsoft Excel calculate numbers? In this lesson we will answer the question stated above how
Microsoft Excel calculate numbers to generate result. Formula in Excel is composed of mathematical and logical
operators. Microsoft Excel performs mathematical calculation from simple to complex problem. In this lesson we
will learn first the basic computation such as addition, subtraction, division and multiplication of number.

A. Adding Numbers

Table 5.1: Sample Data: Add numbers row by row

Table 5.1 shows the solution
of the problem to get the total
of each row. Answers found 12
on column D are the formula
use to generate result.
 Problem 1: What is the total of the encircled numbers? Give the formula to compute the total.

Ans. =a1+b2+c3 or =A1+B2+C3

Problem 2: What is the sum of columns A & C?

Ans. =a1+a2+a3+c1+c2+c3 or

=A1+A2+A3+C1+C2+C3

Problem 3: Compute the total of all numbers. Give the formula

Ans. a1+a2+a3+b1+b2+b3+c1+c2+c3 or

A1+A2+A3+B1+B2+B3+C1+C2+C3

Problem 4: Compute the total of Row 3

Ans. =a3+b3+c3 or A3+B3+C3

B. Subtract Numbers

Table 5.2: Sample Data - Subtraction

Table 5.2 to get the

difference of any numbers we
use the minus symbol (-).

Problem 1: Find the difference of numbers 8 and 2?

Ans. =b3-b2 or =B3-B2

Problem 2: Find the difference of numbers 6, 7, 8, 5?

Ans. =a1-a3-b3-c1 or =A1-A3-B3-C1

Problem 3: Find the difference of 8, 3, 2. Note:

Using lower case or upper
Ans. = b3-a2-b2 or = B3-A2-B2
case letter in the formula
C. Multiply Numbers
will not affect the result.

Table 5.3: Sample Data - Multiplication

Table 5.3 to get the product

of any number we use
asterisk (*) symbol.

Problem 1: Get the product of the numbers 6, 3, 7?

Ans. =a1*a2*a3 or =A1*A2*A3

13
 Problem 2: Get the product of 6, 7, 4 and 5

Ans. =a1*a3*b1*c1 or =A1*A3*B1*C1

Problem 3: Get the product of 8 and 6.

Ans. =b1*a1 or =b1*a1

D. Divide Numbers

Table 5.4: Sample Data – Division

Table 5.4 To get the quotient

of any number we use slash
(/) symbol.

Problem 1: Get the quotient of 200, 100 and 2.

Ans. =b3/a2/c3 or =B3/A2/C3

Problem 2: Get the quotient of 25 and 2

Ans. = a1/c3 or = A1/C3

Problem 3: Get the quotient of numbers 100,5,4,2

Ans. = a2/b1/c1/c3 or = A2/B1/C1/C3

Functions (Sum, Product, Average)

The = (Formula) field can use values returned by the following functions. Functions with empty parentheses can
accept any number of arguments separated by commas (,) or semicolons (;), as long as you use the list separator
defined as part of the regional settings in Microsoft Windows Control Panel. Arguments can be numbers, formulas,
or bookmark names. The functions AVERAGE(), COUNT(), MAX(), MIN(), PRODUCT(), and SUM() can also
accept references to table cells as arguments. There are other matters that you need to consider before using any of
the functions in your formula.

1. No space in between the name of the function and the parenthesis (). Ex. SUM()
2. Use COLON (:) to get the result of all numbers.
3. Use COMMA (,) to get the result if selected numbers

A. Sum()
Add numbers in a range of cells

Table 6.1: Add numbers with the use of Sum()

14
Problem 1: What is the total of all numbers?
Based from our previous lesson you have learned that in order to get the total of any number we will use
formula =a1+a2+a3+a4+a5+b1+b2+b3+b4+b5+c1+c2+c3
+c4+c5+d1+d2+d3+e1+e2+e3+e4+e5 but this kind of formula is not accepted if you were to solve mathematical
problem that consist of many cells or range of cells. With this problem we will use the function Sum() that will add
numbers. Let us now solve our first problem using SUM().
Solution: =sum(a1:e5) this is the formula that will compute the total of all numbers. Observe in the formula we use
the symbol colon in between the cell reference that means numbers located within the range of A1 to E5 are
included in the computation. In using the colon symbol you will only identify the first and the last number located
within the range of cells.

Sample Problems

Problem 2: Get the Total of Row one

Ans. =sum(a1:e1)
Our formula is =sum(a1:e1). A1 is our
first number in the row and e1 is our last
number. So in between these two
references we put colon to add the numbers
within the range of A1:E1.

Problem 3: Get the total of the numbers that has a background color.
Ans. =sum(a1,a5,c3,e1,e5)
In our formula we use comma instead of
colon. That mean we will get the total of
selected numbers.

Problem 4: Get the total of Columns A and D

Ans
=Sum(a1:a5,E1:e5)
In our formula we combined both the colon &
comma. The problem with this table there are
numbers located in
between columns A and D which are not
included in the computation. Only the
numbers located in columns A and D are included in our computation. Here are the steps on how we get the formula
stated above.
1. Identify the columns that are included in our computation that is A and D. Within these columns determine
if all numbers are included in the computation
2. Hence numbers located in column A are all included in the computation next
3. Identify the first and last numbers and these are A1 and A5. A1 is the cell reference of our first number in
column A and A5 is the last number.

15
 4. In between these two references we put the COLON symbol to signify that all number is included in the
formula. So our formula is A1:A5.
5. For Column D, go back and follow the same steps from 1 to 4.
6. Put comma that will separate the two columns. Since we will add selected columns.
7. SUM() is use to add numbers. Inside the parenthesis enter SUM(A1:A5,D1:D5)
8. Don’t forget that we always start with an equal sign. So our formula now is =SUM(A1:A5,D1:D5).
B. Average()
Returns the average (arithmetic mean) of the arguments. The arithmetic mean, and is calculated by adding a
group of numbers and then dividing by the count of those numbers. For example, the average of 2, 3, 3, 5, 7, and 10
is 30 divided by 6, which is 5.

Table 6.2: Average Table Note: When averaging cells,

keep in mind the difference
between empty cells and those
containing the value zero,
especially if you have cleared
the Zero values check box on
Problem 1: Get the average of all number.
the View tab (Options
command, Tools menu).
Ans. =average(a1:d4) or =AVERAGE(A1:D4) Empty cells are not counted,
but zero values are.
Problem 2: Get the average of Column D.
Ans. =average(d1:d3) or =AVERAGE(D1:D3)
Problem 3: Get the average of row 1 and 3.
Ans. =average(,a1:d1,a3:d3) or =AVERAGE(,A1:D1,A3:D3)
Problem 4: Get the average of numbers 55, 15, 5, 2.
Ans. =average(a1,b2,c3,d1) or =AVERAGE(A1,B2,C3,D1)

C. Product ()
Returns the result of multiplying a list of values. For example, the function
{ = PRODUCT (1,3,7,9) } returns the value 189.

Table 6.3: Product Table

Problem 1: Get the product of column A and C.

Ans. =product(a1:a3,c1:c3) or =PRODUCT(A1:A3,C1:C3)

Problem 2: Get the product of row 2.

Ans. =product(a2:d2) or =PRODUCT(A2:D2)

Problem 3: Get the product of numbers 40, 13, 55.

Ans. =product(c1,a2,a1) or =PRODUCT(C1,A2,A1)
Problem4: Get the product of column B and number 55.
Ans. =product(b1:b3,a1) or =PRODUCT(B1:B3,A1)

16
Integration of Functions and Operators

In this lesson, we will learn to integrate functions and operators to compute complex mathematical
problem. If more than one operator is used in a formula, there is a specific order that Excel will follow to perform
these mathematical operations. This order of operations can be changed by adding brackets to the equation.

The Order of Operations is:

Brackets () Multiplication *
Exponents ^ Addition +
Division / Subtraction -

How the Order of Operations Works

Any operation(s) contained in brackets will be carried out first followed by any exponents. After that,
Excel considers division or multiplication operations to be of equal importance, and carries out these operations in
the order they occur left to right in the equation. The same goes for the next two operations – addition and
subtraction. They are considered equal in the order of operations. Which ever one appears first in an equation, either
addition or subtraction is the operation carried out first.

Table 7.1

Problem 1: Get the total of columns A and B and divide it by 20

Ans. =sum(a1:b5)/20 or =SUM(A1:B5)/20
Problem 2: Get the 30% from the total of Row 2
Ans. = sum(a2:e2)*.30 or =sum(a2:e2)*30% or =SUM(A2:E2)*30%
Problem 3: Plus 25 get the average of Row 5
Ans. =average(a1:e5)+25 or =AVERAGE(A1:E5)+25
Problem 4: Find the difference of column A from column D.
Ans. =sum(a1:a5)-sum(d1:d5)
Problem 5: Get the total of column C plus the average of row 4
Ans. =sum(c1:c5)+average(a4:e4)

Other Functions
We
In this lesson we will tackle other functions that we can use compare Excel.
in Microsoft the result of Column A to a
1. constant
IF() = function that allow us to compare one value to another value
and then ofcell
set the 75contents
if the student
based onwill
the get a
result of the comparison using the syntax: =IF(logical_test,value_if_true,value_if_false).
remark of Passed or Failed. This is the
formula =IF(A2>=75,"Passed","Failed").
Example 1: We will compare the result of column A the final Grade of the Students if they Get a Passed or
This means that if the number located in
Failed remarks.
column a is higher than 75 it will display the
“Passed” remark if the statement is false17or
not true “failed’ is displayed.
 Table 8.1

2. Vlookup()
Lookup formulas can work vertically, looking for values down a column, or they can work horizontally, looking
for values across a row. It looks in the first column of an array and moves across the row to return the value of a cell .
In this example, the information will be stored vertically, with values down a column Enter the headings in the first
row
1. The first column should contain the unique key values on which you will base the lookup. In this example,
you can find the price for a specific product code.
2. If you have other data on the worksheet, leave at least one blank row at the bottom of the table, and one
blank column at the right of the table, to separate the lookup table from the other data.

Table 8.2 Reference Table

Problem 1: Get the equivalent grade of the student quiz.

1. Column A – represent the number of items
2. Column B – represent the equivalent grade
3. Column E – represent the student score

A. Syntax - =Vlookup(lookup_value,table_array,col_index_num,range_looup)

B. VLOOKUP Function Arguments

The VLOOKUP function has four arguments:

1. lookup_value: What value do you want to look up? In this example, the SCORE is in cell E4, and you
want to find its Score Equivalent.
2. table_array: Where is the lookup table? In table 8.2 our lookup table is in columns A & B. that mean we
will use these two columns to compare the result in column E.Observe that in our formula we use this

18
 reference ($A$4:$B$9) we name it as absolute reference means that the value will not change even if we
copy the formula to the next cell.
3. col_index_num: Which column has the value you want returned? Since in our lookup table we use
columns A and B. column A represent the Columns index 1 and column B the column index 2. So in our
example we will use the Second index. This will display the equivalent grade.
4. [range_lookup]: Do you want an exact match? Is an approximate match okay?
If you use TRUE as the last argument, or omit the last argument, an approximate match can be returned.
This example has FALSE as the last argument, so if the product code is not found, the result will be #N/A.
(Note: Excel is rather forgiving, and will accept 0 instead of FALSE, and 1 instead of TRUE.)

3 INDEX Function -- Example

The INDEX function can return an item from a specific position in a specific column in a list. For example,
what is the 3rd item in the 2nd column in the list at right?

1. Select the cell in which you want the result

A B
2. Type an equal sign, the INDEX function name, and an
1 Item Price
opening parenthesis:
2 Sweater 10
=INDEX(
3 Jacket 30
3. Select the cells that contain the list -- cells A2:B4 in this 4 Pants 25
example
5 =INDEX($A$2:$B$4,3,2)
4. Press the F4 key on the keyboard, to change the reference to an
absolute reference: $A$2:$B$4. Then, if you copy the formula to another cell, it will continue to refer to
the list of items.
5. Type a comma, to separate the arguments
6. Type the number of the item you want to return -- 3 in this example
7. Type a comma, to separate the arguments
8. Type the number of the column you want to return -- 2 in this example
9. Finish with a closing parenthesis. The completed formula is:
=INDEX($A$2:$B$4,3,2)
10. Press the Enter key to see the result.

4. MATCH Function -- Example

The MATCH function can find a value in a list, and return its position. For example, where is "Jacket" in the list
at right?

1. Select the cell in which you want the result

2. Type an equal sign, the MATCH function name, and an opening parenthesis:
=MATCH(
3. Type the value to find, or click on the cell that contains the value -- cell A5 in this example
4. Type a comma, to separate the arguments
5. Select the range that contains the list -- a range named ItemList in this example
6. Type a comma, to separate the arguments
7. Type the number for the Match type you want to use -- 0 was
A B
used in this example, because an exact match is required.
1 Item
2 Sweater
3 Jacket 19
4 Pants
5 Jacket =MATCH(A5,ItemList,0)
 8. Finish with a closing parenthesis. The completed formula is:
=MATCH(A5,ItemList,0)
9. Press the Enter key to see the result.

5. INDEX and MATCH -- Example

One advantage of the INDEX/MATCH functions is that the lookup value can be in any column in the array,
unlike the VLOOKUP function, in which the lookup value must be in the first column. In this example, the MATCH
function will find the position of "Jacket" in column B, and the INDEX function will return the code from the same
position in column A.

1. Set up the worksheet as shown at right

2. Enter the following formula in cell B6:
=INDEX($A$2:$A$4,MATCH(A6,$B$2:$B$4,0))
3. Press the Enter key to see the result.
A B
The MATCH function, MATCH(A6,$B$2:$B$4,0), returns 2, which is 1 Code Item the
position of "Jacket" in the list. 2 SW001 Sweater
3 JK002 Jacket
Then, the INDEX function, INDEX($A$2:$A$4,2), returns "JK002", 4 PN001 Pants
which is the second item in the range $A$2:$A$4. 5
6 Jacket JK002
Table 8.3. Index and Match

We can also use the Index/match () to get the equivalent of the score

Copying Formula to Adjacent Cell

Coping formula to an adjacent cell is very

easy rather than entering the same formula
over and over. All you need to do is to
double click the fill handle or drag it to
the next cell.

20
21
Instructions
1. Type the Entire Document
2. Compute the following
a. Get the average of the Quizzes and Unit Tests
b. Get the Final Grade by getting the 20% of Quizzes, 25% of Unit Test, 25 of Midterm, 30% of
Final Exam.
c. Add another column for the REMARKS.
d. Using the IF(), write “PASSED” if the grade is above 75 and “ FAILED” if below 75.
3. Save file as “Grade-your family name” as filename

22