A spreadsheet like MS Excel arranges data in a grid of cells and can calculate automatically. It's perfect for marks, budgets and any table of numbers. This chapter covers the essentials.
1The interface & cell data
An Excel sheet is a grid: columns are labelled with letters (A, B, C) and rows with numbers (1, 2, 3). Each box is a cell, named by its column + row — e.g. B3 (its cell address).
What a cell can hold
| Data type | Example |
|---|---|
| Number | 92, 3.14 (used in calculations) |
| Text | Name, City (labels) |
| Formula | =A1+A2 (calculates a result) |
- Columns are letters, rows are numbers; a cell is named by column+row (its cell address, e.g. B3).
- Cells hold numbers (for calculation), text (labels) or formulas (calculate a result).
- Change a number and all formulas using it update automatically.
2Editing data, structure & formatting
To enter data, click a cell and type, then press Enter. To edit, double-click (or use the formula bar). Typing in a filled cell overwrites it.
Changing the structure
- Resize a column or row by dragging its border.
- Insert or delete whole rows and columns.
Cell formatting
Make data readable with formatting: borders, font (type, size, bold), background colour (fill) and alignment (left/center/right). Number formats can show a value as currency (₹), a percentage (%) or a date.
- Click a cell and type to enter data; double-click to edit; typing over a filled cell overwrites it.
- Resize columns/rows by dragging; insert or delete whole rows and columns.
- Format cells with borders, font, fill colour and alignment; number formats show currency/percent/date.
3Basic formulas & error messages
A formula begins with = and uses cell references and operators + - * /:
=A1 + A2 + A3 adds three cells =B2 * C2 multiplies two cells
Reading error messages
| Error | Means |
|---|---|
###### | The column is too narrow to show the value — widen it |
#VALUE! | You used the wrong type (e.g. maths on text) |
#DIV/0! | You divided by zero (or an empty cell) |
###### isn't really an error — the value just doesn't fit; widen the column to see it.- A formula starts with = and uses cell references and + - * /.
- ###### means the column is too narrow (widen it); #VALUE! means a wrong data type.
- #DIV/0! means you divided by zero (or by an empty cell).
★ Practical: a budget sheet
In Excel, build a simple monthly budget that:
- Has columns Item, Amount; enter five items.
- Uses a formula =SUM(...) to total the amounts.
- Formats the total cell (bold, a border, currency).
- Make one cell too narrow on purpose to see ######, then widen it.
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