Math 110 Guide to Using Excel

Math 110 Guide to Using Excel

1. Introduction

1.1 Navigating this Website | 1.2 Moving Between Programs | 1.3 Opening Excel | 1.4 Working with Windows | 1.5 Tiling Windows

This purpose of this page is to introduce you to the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet software and how to navigate this website. If you have not had much prior experience with computers or Excel, this Guide will take you through a step-by-step tour of the basics of using Excel. If you do have experience with computers and using Excel, some parts of this Guide may seem elementary; however you should still work through the entire Guide - it will be assumed that you have mastered the operation of Excel as presented here, and you may learn a few new tricks in the process!

1.1 Navigating this Website

Links at the top of each page allow you jump to a particular section, and links at the bottom of each page allow you to move back and forth sequentially through this Guide. Alternatively you may click on the links in the frame to the left to jump to any chapter.

This Guide is intended to be used online, but if you choose to print part or all of it, be sure to double-left-click in the main page area each time before you print (to avoid inadvertently printing the navigation frame to the left).

1.2 Moving Between Programs

You will want to open Excel and jump back and forth between this Guide and the Excel software. There are two easy ways in which to move between programs - try them after opening Excel:

1) Use the Taskbar at the bottom of the screen - simply click on the program to which you would like to switch (Fig. 1.2-1).

Fig 1.2-1 Switching programs using the Taskbar

or 2) Press ALT and then TAB (while continuing to hold down ALT) (denoted ALT+TAB). A box will appear in the middle of the screen depicting the icons of all of the currently open windows. Pressing TAB repeatedly will cycle through the icons - simply release the keys to choose the program to which you want to switch. If you have only two programs running, simply press ALT+TAB to switch to the other open program.

1.3 Opening Excel

There are at least three easy ways to open the Excel software, depending upon how your computer is configured. Do this now and then return to this webpage as described in section 1.2.

1) Left-click the Excel button on the Office bar (usually a vertical bar on the right side of the screen) (Fig. 1.3-1).

or 2) Double-left-click the Excel icon on the Desktop (Fig. 1.3-2). You would need to have all other program windows reduced or minimized first to see the desktop.

or 3) Left-click Start at the bottom left corner of the screen and then choose Programs and then Microsoft Office and left-click on the Microsoft Excel item in the list that appears. (Fig. 1.3-3).

Figure 1.3-1 Excel button on Office bar Figure 1.3-2 Excel icon on Desktop Figure 1.3-3 Using Start>Programs>Microsoft Office>Microsoft Excel to open Excel

Right-click on the link in the navigation frame to the left to open the sample file BicycleRides.xls in a separate Excel window.

1.4 Working with Windows

Sizing windows - Each window has three controls in the upper right corner: Minimize, Maximize/Restore, and Close (Figure 1.4-1). If you do not see these controls, you will need to Move the window by left-clicking on the Title Bar at the top of the window, holding the left button down, and dragging the window up and/or the left until the controls are visible.

Figure 1.4.-1 Window controls: (A) Minimize (B) Maximize (C) Close

Minimize - left-clicking will send the window down to the Taskbar at the bottom of the screen

Maximize/Restore

if the window is not maximized, left-clicking will cause the window fill up as much of the screen as possible (maximized). This is necessary in Excel to access the worksheet tabs (explained in section 2).

if the window is maximized, then left-clicking will reduce the window to a previous smaller size

Close - left-clicking will close the window. A reminder will appear asking you if you wish to save your work.

Scrolling within a window - windows often have a vertical scrollbar on the right margin and a horizontal scrollbar on the bottom margin. Left-clicking on the arrows at the ends of the scrollbar will cause the contents within the window to move, as will left-clicking and dragging the scrollbar itself.

1.5 Tiling Windows

You may find it helpful to tile this web browser and the open Excel window so that you can view both at the same time. This is most useful if you have no other windows open. Simply right-click on a blank area of the Taskbar at the bottom of the screen and then left-click the second item, Tile Windows Horizontally (Fig. 1.5-1).

Figure 1.5-1 Tiling Windows Horizontally. (A) command (B) resulting view

>> Forward to 2. Overview of Excel


Figure 1.3-1 Excel button on Office bar	Figure 1.3-2 Excel icon on Desktop	Figure 1.3-3 Using Start>Programs>Microsoft Office>Microsoft Excel to open Excel


Figure 1.5-1 Tiling Windows Horizontally. (A) command (B) resulting view