Writing the Formula.

Microsoft Excel 2003 Formulas Tutorial Writing the Formula Writing Excel formulas is a little different than the way it is done in math class. Excel formulas starts with the equal sign ( = ) rather than ending with it. The equal sign always goes in the cell where you want the formula answer to appear. The equal sign informs Excel that what follows is part of a formula, and not just a name or a number. Excel formulas look like this: =3 + 2 rather than: 3+2=

Cell References in Formulas While the formula in the previous step works, it has one drawback. If you want to change the data being calculated you need to edit or rewrite the formula. A better way would be to write formulas so that you can change the data without having to change the formulas themselves. To do this, you need to tell Excel which cell the data is located in. A cell's location in the spreadsheet is referred to as its cell reference. To find a cell reference, simply look at the column headings to find which column the cell is in, and across to find which row it is in.

The cell reference is a combination of the column letter and row number -- such as A1, B3, or Z345. When writing cell references the column letter always comes first. So, instead of writing this formula in cell C1: =3+2 write this instead: = A1+A2 Updating excel sheet

Updating Excel Formulas When you use cell references in Excel formulas, the formulas will automatically update whenever the relevent data in the spreadsheet changes. For example, if you realize that the data in cell A1 should have been an 8 instead of a 3, you only need to change the contents of cell A1. Excel updates the answer in cell in cell C1. The formula, itself, doesn't need to change because it was written using cell references. Changing the data 1. Click on the cell A1 2. Type an 8 3. Press the ENTER key on the keyboard The answer in cell C1 where the formula is, immediately changes from 5 to 10, but the formula itself is unchanged.

Excel Formulas Tutorial Step 1: Entering the Data Let's try a step by step example. We will write a simple formula in Excel to add the numbers 3 + 2. Step 1: Entering the data It's best if you first enter all of your data into the spreadsheet before you begin creating formulas. This way you will know if there are any layout problems, and it is less likely that you will need to correct your formula later. For help with this tutorial refer to the image above. 1. Type a 3 in cell A1 and press the ENTER key on the keyboard. 2. Type a 2 in cell A2 and press the ENTER key on the keyboard.

Excel Formulas Tutorial Step 2: Add the Equal (=) Sign When creating formulas in Microsoft Excel, you ALWAYS start by typing the equal sign. You type it in the cell where you want the answer to appear. For help with this example refer to the image above. 1. Click on cell C1(outlined in black in the image) with your mouse pointer. 2. Type the equal sign in cell C1.

Excel Formulas Tutorial Step 3: Add Cell References Using Pointing After typing the equal sign in step 2, you have two choices for adding cell references to the spreadsheet formula. 1. You can type them in or, 2. You can use an Excel feature called Pointing Pointing allows you to click with your mouse on the cell containing your data to add its cell reference to the formula. After typing an equal sign in cell E3 in step 2: 1. 2. 3. 4. Click on cell A1 with the mouse pointer to enter the cell reference into the formula Type a plus (+) sign Click on cell A2 with the mouse pointer to enter the cell reference into the formula Press the ENTER key on the keyboard

The answer 5 should appear in cell C1. If you have more than one row or column of data that you need to perform calculations on, it is often possible to copy the first formula to other cells. The easiest way to do this is to copy formulas with the fil handle.

Excel 2003 Formatting - Changing Data Alignment

This step involves using icons located on the Formatting toolbar, which is normally located at the top of the Excel 2003 screen. If it is not present, this article, Finding Excel Toolbars can help you locate it. 1. Drag select cells A2 - D2.

2. Click on the Merge and Center icon on the Formatting Toolbar to center the title. 3. Drag select cells B4 - B6. 4. Click on the Align text right option icon on the Formatting Toolbar to right align the data in these cells. 5. Drag select cells A9 - A12. 6. Click on the Align text right icon on the Formatting Toolbar to right align the data in these cells. 7. Drag select cells A8 - D8. 8. Click on the Center icon on the Formatting Toolbar to center the data in these cells. 9. Drag select cells C4 - C6. 10. Click on the Center icon on the Formatting Toolbar to center the data in these cells. 11. Drag select cells B9 - D12. 12. Click on the Center icon on the Formatting Toolbar to center the data in these cells. on: What are Excel Headers and Footers? Answer: In Microsoft Excel, headers and footers are lines of text that print at the top (header) and bottom (footer) of each page in the spreadsheet. They contain descriptive text such as titles, dates, and/or page numbers. They are used to add information to a spreadsheet that is being printed. View Headers and Footers

Headers and footers are not visible in the normal worksheet view. To view a header or footer before printing the spreadsheet, use the Print Preview option.

Note: To use Print Preview in Excel, you must have a printer installed on your computer. Headers and Footers Locations

A header or footer can contain up to three pieces of information. This information can appear in three locations on the page. For headers, the locations are the top left corner, the top center, and the top right corner of the page. For footers, the locations are the bottom left corner, the bottom center, and the bottom right corner of the page.

Preset or Custom Headers and Footers

Excel has several preset headers and footers that you can use. These standard options include the sheet name, date, time, page number, and file name. There is also an option for creating your own custom headers or footers that can include text, graphics, or other spreadsheet data. How to add headers and footers to a worksheet: 1. Choose File > Page Setup from the menu to open the Page Setup dialog box. 2. Select the Header-Footer tab. 3. Select from the preset or custom header - footer options. 4. Create the header or footer. 5. Preview in Print Preview.

ormatting Spreadsheets using Format Painter Adding formatting to your spreadsheet not only makes it more attractive and easier to read, but it can make it easier for users to find the information they are after. To quickly copy formatting from one part of a sheet to another, or to another sheet in the same workbook, use the Format Painter. Format Painter is very useful when you are extending a spreadsheet to accommodate new data and need to format the new cells to match the original data area. To use Format Painter to copy formatting options to one cell 1. Add all the formatting options you want to use to at least one cell. 2. Click on that cell with the mouse pointer to make it the active cell.

3. Click on the Format Painter icon on the formatting toolbar. 4. Click on the cell that you want to copy the formatting to. To use Format Painter to copy formatting options to adjacent cells 1. 2. 3. 4. Add all the formatting options you want to use to at least one cell. Click on that cell with the mouse pointer to make it the active cell. Click on the Format Painter icon on the formatting toolbar. Click on the first cell and then drag the mouse pointer to select additional cells.

To use Format Painter to copy formatting options to non-adjacent cells 1. 2. 3. 4. Add all the formatting options you want to use to at least one cell. Click on that cell with the mouse pointer to make it the active cell. Double click on the Format Painter icon on the formatting toolbar. Click on the first cell you want to copy the formatting to and then continue clicking on additional cells to copy the formatting to these cells as well. 5. Click on the Format Painter icon on the formatting toolbar to turn it off.

To Change the Worksheet Tab Color

1. Click on the tab(s) of the worksheets you want to re-color. To select more than one tab hold down the CTRL key on the keyboard and click on each tab with the mouse pointer. 2. Choose Format > Sheet > Tab Color to display the Format Tab Color Palette. 3. Pick a color. 4. Click OK. Results 1. Changing the tab color for one sheet only : o the sheet name is underlined in the selected color. 2. Changing the tab color for more than one sheet: o the active sheet tab is underlined in the selected color. o All other sheet tabs display the selected color. Formatting Spreadsheets using AutoFormat Spreadsheets usually contain a lot of data. This can make it difficult, if not impossible for users to find the information they are looking for. Formatting a spreadsheet effectively can change that. A good choice of background color, font style and font size, plus other formatting options can make the most important information on the spreadsheet stand out from the rest of the data.

If you are new to Excel, and not yet comfortable with all the formatting options available, you can use the AutoFormat option to give your spreadsheets a professional look and make them easy to read. There are 17 AutoFormat styles available. These styles affect six main formatting areas: number formatting, borders, fonts, patterns and background color, alignment, and column and row size. Choose an Appropriate Style Not all the styles are appropriate for all spreadsheets. Keep in mind how the spreadsheet will be used when selecting an AutoFormat style:

Printed off and given to the audience as a hand out. Used solely in a slide show presentation. Emailed to just a few associates.

Some of the styles are very "graphic intensive" and would not print well, and some are just not appropriate for business reports. Be sure to choose a style in keeping with your subject and your audience. If none of the styles are quite to your liking, you can modify them either before or after they have been applied to your worksheet. To modify a style before applying it, click on the options button in the AutoFormat dialog box. Doing so, will allow you to deselect any of the six formatting areas such as font, borders, or alignment before applying the style. The spreadsheet example in the dialog box will show you what the style will look like with the different options deselected. Fine-Tune Your Style Choice Once you have applied a style you can modify it further using Excels regular formatting options located under the Format menu and on the formatting toolbar. Many people use the AutoFormat options as a starting point and then use the regular formatting options to finetune their selection so that it meets their needs exactly. To apply an AutoFormat style to your worksheet 1. Select only the data on the worksheet that you want formatted. 2. Choose Format > AutoFormat from the menus to bring up the AutoFormat dialog box. 3. Scroll through the list of styles. 4. Click on the one you want to use. 5. Click OK Excel 2007 MIN Function

The MIN function, one of Excels statistical functions, is used to find the smallest or minimum value in a given list of numbers or arguments. The syntax for the MIN function is: =MIN ( argument1, argument2, ... argument30 ) Argument1, argument2, ... argument30 can be numbers, named ranges, arrays, or cell references. Up to 30 arguments can be entered. Example Using Excel's MIN Function: Note: For help with this example, see the image to the right. 1. Enter the following data into cells C1 to C6: 114,165,178,143,130,167. 2. Click on cell C7 - the location where the results will be displayed. 3. Type =min( in cell C7. 4. Drag select cells C1 to C6 with the mouse pointer. 5. Type the closing bracket " ) " after the cell range in cell C7. 6. Press the ENTER key on the keyboard. 7. The answer 114 appears in cell C7. 8. The complete function =MIN(C1:C6) appears in the formula bar. Excel 2007 MAX Function The MAX function, one of Excel's statistical functions, is used to find the largest or maximum number in a given list of values or arguments. The syntax for the MAX function is: =MAX( argument1, argument2, ... argument30 ) Argument1, argument2, ... argument30 can be numbers, named ranges, arrays, or cell references. Up to 30 arguments can be entered. Example Using Excel's MAX Function: Note: For help with this example, see the image to the right. 1. Enter the following data into cells C1 to C6: 114,165,178,143,130,167.

2. Click on cell C7 - the location where the results will be displayed. 3. Type = max( in cell C7. 4. Drag select cells C1 to C6 with the mouse pointer. 5. Type the closing bracket " ) " after the cell range in cell C7. 6. Press the ENTER key on the keyboard. 7. The answer 178 appears in cell C7. 8. The complete function = MAX ( C1 : C6 ) appears in the formula bar.

Example Using Excel's COUNT Function: Note: For help with this example, see the image to the right. 1. Enter the following data into cells C1 to C6: 11,12,13,14,15,16. 2. Click on cell C7 - the location where the results will be displayed. 3. Type =count( in cell C7. 4. Drag select cells C1 to C6 with the mouse pointer. 5. Type the closing bracket ")" after the cell range in cell C7. 6. Press the ENTER key on the keyboard. 7. The answer 6 appears in cell C7. 8. The complete function =COUNT(C1:C6) appears in the formula bar.