spreadsheet in excel

What is a Spreadsheet

A spreadsheet is a file that exists of cells in rows and columns and can help arrange, calculate and sort data. Data in a spreadsheet can be numeric values, as well as text, formulas, references and functions.

Rows, columns and cells in a spreadsheet

The rows in a spreadsheet have numeric names (1, 2, 3 etc) and the columns have alphabetic names (a, b, c etc), thus the names of cells subsequently exist of a letter and a number that conveniently point out their position in the grid

Selection of a row

In the image above row 3 is selected. This can be done by clicking on the number 3 in front of the row.

Selection of a column

In the image above column B is selected. This can be done by clicking on the letter B above the column.

Selection of a cell

In the image above cell B3 is selected. This can be done by clicking on the cell.

Worksheets

A spreadsheet can contain one or several worksheets (tabs). Adding worksheets can be done by clicking the ‘+’ on the right side of the existing worksheet tab(s).

In the picture above worksheet 3 is selected. Clicking on the plus-sign will add a new worksheet to the spreadsheet.

Why spreadsheets are used

The most common reason to use spreadsheets is to store and organize data, like revenue, payroll and accounting information. Spreadsheets allow the user to make calculations with this data and to produce graphs and charts.