Welcome to the first unit in the Spreadsheet module. At the end of this unit you should be able to create a simple spreadsheet with Excel.
Like the Word Processing module, the lectures in this module are brief. The skills and concepts you are expected to learn are explained on individual pages. After you finish reading this lecture, you should return to the unit page and read through the objectives and concepts. I recommend going through the objectives in order and reading concept pages as necessary.
If you already know how to use Microsoft Word, you will see that many of the commands and procedures used in Word are also used in Excel. The first similarity you might notice is Word and Excel share some common toolbar buttons and menu commands. For example, both Excel and Word have Copy/Paste toolbar buttons and menu commands. You also may notice that Word and Excel share some common dialog boxes. For example, Word and Excel have almost identical dialog boxes for opening and saving a file.
So what can you look forward to in this unit? This unit introduces some new terminology (workbook and worksheet). You will learn what type of data you can add to a spreadsheet (text, numbers, and formulas). You will learn how a spreadsheet is organized (by rows and columns of cells). And finally, you will learn how to enter and edit spreadsheet data.
The assignment at the end of this unit has two parts. In part one you create a spreadsheet that will calculate your grade for this course. Since you don't have all your grades at this time, choose values for your grades you hope to get. In part two you use a spreadsheet to determine a savings plan for an item you would like to purchase in the future.
The two problems in this assignment demonstrate the two main uses of an electronic spreadsheet. First, you can use a spreadsheet to perform calculations that provide an answer. Second, you can use a spreadsheet to do what-if scenarios. For example, in the second part of the assignment you try different values for the amount of money you can set aside each year and the number of years you can wait to purchase the item. By trying different values (scenarios) for these amounts, you will find the set of values that suits you best.