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Monday, March 21, 2011
How to Use Microsoft Excel 2003 as a Normal User
1. Open Microsoft Excel 2003. A blank spreadsheet appears. At the top, the toolbar lists the functions available to you. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move one cell at a time throughout your spreadsheet. You can also click into any cell.
2. Enter information by typing it and pressing the 'Enter' key. For example, to keep track of grades for three students, enter the first name in cell A2. Enter the second name in cell A3. Enter the third name in cell A3. Enter 'Test 1' in cell B1. Enter 'Test 2' in cell C1. Then, enter the grades for the students.
3. Format cells to make your spreadsheet easier to read. Click your mouse in cell B1 to add some formatting. Press the 'CTRL/B' keys to add bolding to the cell. Click your mouse in cell C1 to do the same thing. Press the 'CTRL/B' keys to add bolding to the cell. Notice that the numbers automatically align to the right of the cell. Text aligns to the left.
4. Add formula to perform calculations. For example, add a formula to cell D2 that calculates the average grade for the student in that row. Enter the formula below that adds the two numbers in cells B2 and C2 (the grades for the first student) and then divides them by the number of grades (in this case, 2).=(B2 C2)/2
5. Use Microsoft Excel 2003 functions to make your work easier. For example, replicate the formula you just entered by selecting cell D2. Press the 'CTRL/C' key to copy it. Click into cell E2 and press the 'CTRL/V' keys to paste the formula into the cell. To replicate a formula across a range of cells, select the cell that contains the formula and click the bottom right corner. Drag it down several rows and the formula copies into each cell, changing to reflect the current row.
6. Insert a new row by placing your cursor directly below where you want to put the new information. From the 'Insert' menu, select the 'Rows' option. To insert another column, select the 'Columns' option from the 'Insert' menu.
7. Sort information to order and organize it. Excel retains the relationships within the information for you. For example, to arrange student grades in descending order, click the 'Sort' option from the 'Data' menu. Set the sorting to 'Descending' to organize the information in this manner.