One easy way to keep track of information is to use a computer spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Office Excel. Other spreadsheet programs are similar to the Excel program. A spreadsheet allows people to keep track of information and to use that information to find answers to questions they may have. In this activity, you will learn about the basics of spreadsheets.

A spreadsheet is a set of rows and columns in which you can enter both text and related numbers to obtain exact mathematical results.

A spreadsheet is made up of cells. A cell is where a column and a row meet. The name of the cell is given by the column letter first and then the row number.

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As you can see in the spreadsheet, cell A3 is where column A and row 3 meet.

You can move around a spreadsheet either by using the arrow keys on the keyboard or by using the mouse.

Two types of data (information) can be entered into a cell — alphanumeric data and numeric data.

Alphanumeric — This type of data is either letters combined with numbers or just letters. As soon as the spreadsheet program detects a letter, a space, or a hyphen (-), it considers the data to be alphanumeric.

You cannot do calculations with this type of data.

Examples of alphanumeric data would be a name (Sam), a heading (Citizenship), or a file number (AH405).

Numeric — This type of data is composed of only numbers or formulas (numbers combined with math operations).

This is the type of data you can use to perform calculations.

Examples of numeric data are an amount of money ($405.93), a date (23/10/06), or a quantity (50).

Take a look at the image below that reviews the other parts of a spreadsheet, which you may already be familiar with.

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