Excel 2007
Knowledge for Physics

OpenOffice, a free alternative to Excel can be downloaded by click here or going to .

Objectives

• Learn how to use Microsoft Excel
• Learn how to insert data into a spreadsheet
• Learn how to format data and cells in Excel
• Learn how to sort data in Excel
• Learn how to do calculations in Excel
• Learn the difference between absolute and relative cell references
• Learn how to add rows and columns in Excel
• Learn how to insert text boxes in Excel
• Learn Learn how to create graphs in Excel
• Learn how to add and format trendlines in Excel

What is Microsoft Excel?

Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program which allows one to enter numerical values or data into the rows or columns of a spreadsheet, and to use these numerical entries for such things as calculations, graphs, and statistical analysis. Excel and other spreadsheet programs are used throughout the world in jobs, ranging from Accounting to Actuaries, from Insurance Agencies to Manufacturing industries, and in Academia and Science related fields like biology and physics.

Vocabulary

• Absolute Reference –  Absolute ranges have a $ character before the column portion of the reference and/or the row portion of the reference.  The $ character indicates to Excel that it should not increment the column and/or row reference as you fill a range with a formula or as you copy a range. If you enter =A1 in a cell and then fill that cell down a column, the '1' in the reference will increment in each row. Thus, the formula in row 50 would be =A50. However, if you enter =$A$1 in a cell and fill down, the range reference will remain $A$1 -- it will not increment as you fill or copy down a column.


• Automatic Cell Filling – The ability to fill out some cells with values that belong to a common series.



• Cell – the small boxes where data exists in a spreadsheet


• Column – Cells that are in a vertical line of each other


• Function – just like in math, an operation performed on variables or constants
  


• Rows – Cells that are in a horizontal line of each other
  

The Assignment

Your assignment is to complete all of the steps below and submit to your course instructor all of the pages that you are asked to print in the document below. These pages should be submitted in the order they appear, and should be stapled together.