Spreadsheets JSS3 Computer Studies Lesson Note

Meaning of Spreadsheet package

A spreadsheet package is application software that is made of horizontal (columns) and vertical (rows) which is used in data analysis and calculation. 

A spreadsheet is made up of three things: rows, and columns, and their intersections are called cells. Columns are typically labelled using letters (A, B, C, D,) and rows are typically labelled using numbers (1, 2, 3, 4,). An intersection of a column and a row makes a cell in a spreadsheet

USES OF SPREADSHEET PACKAGES

The following are the uses of spreadsheet

1.         It is used for the preparation  of a budget
2.         It is used for analysis of daily sales
3.         It is used for the preparation  of examination results
4.         It is used for  chart creation  (Bar chart and pie chart)
5.         It is used for managing inventory for a small  business

EXAMPLES OF SPREADSHEET

1.         Google Docs Spreadsheets, 
2.         Open Office Calc spreadsheet
3.         Microsoft Excel spreadsheet
4.         Lotus 1-2-3  
5.         Corel Quattro Pro

SPREADSHEET FEATURES AND TERMINOLOGIES

There are various spreadsheet terminologies. These are:

1.         Column
2.         Row
3.         Cell
4.         Cell address
5.         Range
6.         Worksheet
7.         Workbook
8.         Function 
9.         Formula

A COLUMN 

A column is a range of cells that extend from top to down (vertical) in a spreadsheet or worksheet.   Columns are labeled with letters, for example, column A, and column B.  The highlighted part of the spreadsheet is a column, and it is labeled B.

A  ROW

A row is the horizontal range of cells that go across the spreadsheet/worksheet from left to right. Numbers are used to label each row’s location.  The highlighted part of the spreadsheet is a row, and it is labeled 3.

A  CELL 

A cell is the space where a specified row and column intersect.  Each CELL is assigned a name according to its COLUMN letter and ROW number.  The highlighted part of the spreadsheet is a cell, and it is labeled C3.  When naming a cell, you should put the column first and the row second. A cell can contain a value (number), or a formula (simple math or more complex formulas called functions).

 CELL ADDRESS OR CELL REFERENCE: 

Cell address or cell reference is a cell  

 A RANGE

A range is a group of selected cells that can be next to one another (adjacent) or non-adjacent.  

Ranges are identified by cell references e.g. A1:B6 or a name e.g. sales_table.

 Labels: (Text with no numerical value) Column A and Row 1 are labels because they contain text.  They help identify what we are talking about.

 Values: These are numbers inserted in each cell of a spreadsheet or worksheet: 

WORKSHEET OR SPREADSHEET

A worksheet is a single sheet (page) of rows and columns in a workbook. A worksheet consists of all of the cells on that single sheet.

WORKBOOK

A workbook is a collection of worksheets that are stored together in a single file and given a single name.   Workbooks can contain links between different worksheets.

FORMULA

A set of instructions to manipulate the contents of other cells. These operations can be simple arithmetic operations or more complex ones. An example would be + (B1/B4) to divide the value found in cell B1 by the value found in cell B4.

FUNCTION 

A function is a pre-written formula that makes complex formulas easier to write. They are distinguished from regular formulas by the name of the function. For example, the formula=SUM (B1:B4) would add each value in the column B from row 1 to row 4