[ ! ] BLOGGING ON BLOGGING

I thought that our last unit on spreadsheets was fairly simple. I was absent the day our class started the unit, so the next day when we were doing our mental math about spreadsheets, i was lost. After we reviewed the answers, i understood almost every concept. You don't need to know much about spreadsheets, to know how to do one. All you need to know, basically, is what a label is, what a formula is, and what a value is.

A label usually consists of ONLY letters in a cell. A formula is an equation beginning with an equal sign (very important), and a value is content in a cell that consists of nothing other than numbers. Along with this, you're also going to have to know how to identify cells. Cells are the little boxes that make up the spreadsheet.

Along the top of the spreadsheets are letters of the alphabet, and along the left-hand side are numbers. The proper way to identify a cell is to first find the column in which the cell is in, go all the way to the top, and remember the letter. Then find the row in which the cell is located, go all the way to the left, and remember the number. Then put the two together; letter first, number comes after.

Using the spreadsheet above as a reference, this is how you'd determine which cell it is. The highlighted box is under the "B" column, and located in the "2" row, therefore it is cell "B2".

When you know which cell you're supposed to put content in, then its pretty straight forward. If you're typing in a label, you should type NOTHING other than letters or words, with the acception of dates and such. If you're typing in a formula, letters and numbers are allowed, but you MUST remember to place an equal sign (=) before it, or it won't work the way it should. If you were to type in a value, there should be NOTHING but numbers in that cell.

When you put a label into your spreadsheet, it should automatically align to the left of the cell, unless it is further formatted. Opposite of labels, values are automatically aligned to the right of the cell, again, unless it is further formatted. Formulas are similar to labels, they are aligned to the left, and then automatically calculated to show the answer. You'll find that when you type the formula in, the answer will show up in the cell, but in the textbox, the formula is still there.

Speaking of formulas, there are a variety of formulas that are already there for you to use. You can find them all listed under the 'formulas' tab just along the top of the actual spreadsheet. Not all spreadsheet programs are the same, so you might have to search for a button that says 'formulas'. Formulas make spreadsheets all the more easier to work with, because it does all you're calculations for you automatically, the only thing you have to do is make sure the formula that you put in is correct, and that you didn't leave out the equal sign.

Examples of commonly used formulas are:
[ & ] = SUM(A2:G2) , OR , = SUM(A2+B2+C2+D2+E2+F2+G2)
... .... > to add cell values together .
[ & ] = A2*B2
..... .. > to multiply two cells together .
[ & ] = SUM(A2:A7)/2
... .... > to add multiple cells together , then divide by two .
[ & ] = AVERAGE(C2:C9)
....... > to find the average of multiple cells .

Spreadsheets are a good way to keep track of everything, especially when it comes to banking. Its easy to understand, quick to do, simple to access, and a big plus, no paper work OR self calculating!

[ ! ] GOOD LUCK ON THE TEST :)