Excel - Chapter 1 - Creating a Worksheet and Charting Data

Select All box

A box in the upper left corner of the worksheet grid that, when clicked, selects all the cells in a worksheet.

Chart Elements button

A button that enables you to add, remove, or change chart elements such as the title, legend, gridlines, and data labels.

Chart Filters button

A button that enables you to change which data displays in the chart.

Chart Styles button

A button that enables you to set a style and color scheme for your chart.

Absolute cell reference

A cell reference that refers to cells by their fixed position in a worksheet; an absolute cell reference remains the same when the formula is copied.

Legend

A chart element that identifies the patterns or colors that are assigned to the categories in the chart.

Column chart

A chart in which the data is arranged in columns and that is useful for showing how data changes over a period of time or for illustrating comparisons among items.

Switch Row/Column

A charting command to swap the data over the axis—data being charted on the vertical axis will move to the horizontal axis and vice versa.

Context sensitive

A command associated with the currently selected or active object; often activated by right-clicking a screen item.

Show Formulas

A command that displays the formula in each cell instead of the resulting value.

Merge & Center

A command that joins selected cells in an Excel worksheet into one larger cell and centers the contents in the merged cell.

Cell style

A defined set of formatting characteristics, such as font, font size, font color, cell borders, and cell shading.

AutoCalculate

A feature that displays three calculations in the status bar by default—Average, Count, and Sum—when you select a range of numerical data.

Row

A horizontal group of cells in a worksheet.

Value axis

A numerical scale on the left side of a chart that shows the range of numbers for the data points; also referred to as the Y-axis.

Worksheet grid area

A part of the Excel window that displays the columns and rows that intersect to form the worksheet's cells.

Picture element

A point of light measured in dots per square inch on a screen; 64 pixels equals 8.43 characters, which is the average number of characters that will fit in a cell in an Excel worksheet using the default font.

SUM function

A predefined formula that adds all the numbers in a selected range of cells.

Theme

A predefined set of colors, fonts, lines, and fill effects that coordinate with each other.

Rounding

A procedure in which you determine which digit at the right of the number will be the last digit displayed and then increase it by one if the next digit to its right is 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9.

Auto Fill

An Excel feature that generates and extends values into adjacent cells based on the values of selected cells.

Range finder

An Excel feature that outlines cells in color to indicate which cells are used in a formula; useful for verifying which cells are referenced in a formula.

Lettered column headings

The area along the top edge of a worksheet that identifies each column with a unique letter or combination of letters.

Left alignment

The cell format in which characters align at the left edge of the cell; this is the default for text entries and is an example of formatting information stored in a cell.

Chart layout

The combination of chart elements that can be displayed in a chart such as a title, legend, labels for the columns, and the table of charted cells.

Chart

The graphic representation of data in a worksheet; data presented as a chart is usually easier to understand than a table of numbers.

Cell reference

The identification of a specific cell by its intersecting column letter and row number.

Sheet tabs

The labels along the lower border of the Excel window that identify each worksheet.

Category labels

The labels that display along the bottom of a chart to identify the categories of data; Excel uses the row titles as the category names.

Worksheet

The primary document that you use in Excel to work with and store data, and which is formatted as a pattern of uniformly spaced horizontal and vertical lines.

Operators

The symbols with which you can specify the type of calculation you want to perform in an Excel formula.

Point and click method

The technique of constructing a formula by pointing to and then clicking cells; this method is convenient when the referenced cells are not adjacent to one another.

AutoComplete

A feature that speeds your typing and lessens the likelihood of errors; if the first few characters you Type in a cell match an existing entry in the column, Excel fills in the remaining characters for you.

Chart Styles gallery

A group of predesigned chart styles that you can apply to an Excel chart.

Number format

A specific way in which Excel displays numbers in a cell.

Sparkline

A tiny chart in the background of a cell that gives a visual trend summary alongside your data; makes a pattern more obvious.

Excel pointer

An Excel window element with which you can display the location of the pointer.

Cell content

Anything typed into a cell.

Relative cell reference

In a formula, the address of a cell based on the relative positions of the cell that contains the formula and the cell referred to in the formula.

Displayed value

The data that displays in a cell.

Underlying value

The data that displays in the Formula Bar.

General format

The default format that Excel applies to numbers; this format has no specific characteristics—whatever you type in the cell will display, with the exception that trailing zeros to the right of a decimal point will not display.

Cell

The intersection of a column and a row.

Scaling

The process of shrinking the width and/or height of printed output to fit a maximum number of pages.

Normal view

A screen view that maximizes the number of cells visible on your screen and keeps the column letters and row numbers close to the columns and rows.

Quick Analysis tool

A tool that displays in the lower right corner of a selected range with which you can analyze your data by using Excel tools such as charts, color-coding, and formulas.

Data point

A value that originates in a worksheet cell and that is represented in a chart by a data marker.

Column

A vertical group of cells in a worksheet.

AutoFit

An Excel feature that adjusts the width of a column to fit the cell content of the widest cell in the column.

Workbook-level buttons

Buttons at the far right of the ribbon tabs that minimize or restore a displayed workbook.

Sheet tab scrolling buttons

Buttons to the left of the sheet tabs used to display Excel sheet tabs that are not in view; used when there are more sheet tabs than will display in the space provided.

Format

Changing the appearance of cells and worksheet elements to make a worksheet attractive and easy to read.

Number values

Constant values consisting of only numbers.

Text values

Constant values consisting of only text, and which usually provide information about number values; also referred to as labels.

Constant value

Numbers, text, dates, or times of day that you type into a cell.

Data series

Related data points represented by data markers; each data series has a unique color or pattern represented in the chart legend.

Data

Text or numbers in a cell.

Accounting Number Format

The Excel number format that applies a thousand comma separator where appropriate, inserts a fixed U.S. dollar sign aligned at the left edge of the cell, applies two decimal places, and leaves a small amount of space at the right edge of the cell to accommodate a parenthesis for negative numbers.

Pixel

The abbreviated name for a picture element.

Range

Two or more selected cells on a worksheet that are adjacent or nonadjacent; because the range is treated as a single unit, you can make the same changes or combination of changes to more than one cell at a time.

Function

A predefined formula—a formula that Excel has already built for you—that performs calculations by using specific values in a particular order.

Recommended Charts

An Excel feature that displays a customized set of charts that, according to Excel's calculations, will best fit your data based on the range of data that you select.

Expand Formula Bar button

An Excel window element with which you can increase the height of the Formula Bar to display lengthy cell content.

Expand horizontal scroll bar button

An Excel window element with which you can increase the width of the horizontal scroll bar.

Cell address

Another name for a cell reference.

Value

Another name for a constant value.

Label

Another name for a text value, and which usually provides information about number values.

Chart types

Various chart formats used in a way that is meaningful to the reader; common examples are column charts, pie charts, and line charts.

AutoSum

A button that provides quick access to the SUM function.

Data marker

A column, bar, area, dot, pie slice, or other symbol in a chart that represents a single data point; related data points form a data series.

Series

A group of things that come one after another in succession; for example, January, February, March, and so on.

Page Layout view

A screen view in which you can use the rulers to measure the width and height of data, set margins for printing, hide or display the numbered row headings and the lettered column headings, and change the page orientation; this view is useful for preparing your worksheet for printing.

Formula bar

An element in the Excel window that displays the value or formula contained in the active cell; here you can also enter or edit values or formulas.

Name Box

An element of the Excel window that displays the name of the selected cell, table, chart, or object.

Formula

An equation that performs mathematical calculations on values in a worksheet.

Category axis

The area along the bottom of a chart that identifies the categories of data; also referred to as the x-axis.

Active cell

The cell, surrounded by a black border, ready to receive data or be affected by the next Excel command.

Underlying formula

The formula entered in a cell and visible only on the Formula Bar.

Column heading

The letter that displays at the top of a vertical group of cells in a worksheet; beginning with the first letter of the alphabet, a unique letter or combination of letters identifies each column.

Row heading

The numbers along the left side of an Excel worksheet that designate the row numbers.

Chart style

The overall visual look of a chart in terms of its graphic effects, colors, and backgrounds; for example, you can have flat or beveled columns, colors that are solid or transparent, and backgrounds that are dark or light.

Fill handle

The small black square in the lower right corner of a selected cell.

Arithmetic operators

The symbols +, −, *, /, %, and ^ used to denote addition, subtraction (or negation), multiplication, division, percentage, and exponentiation in an Excel formula.

Workbook

An Excel file that contains one or more worksheets.

Spreadsheet

Another name for a worksheet.

X-axis

Another name for the horizontal (category) axis.

Y-axis

Another name for the vertical (value) axis.

Comma Style

The Excel number format that inserts thousand comma separators where appropriate and applies two decimal places; Comma Style also leaves space at the right to accommodate a parenthesis when negative numbers are present.

Numbered row headings

The area along the left edge of a worksheet that identifies each row with a unique number.

Status bar

The area along the lower edge of the Excel window that displays, on the left side, the current cell mode, page number, and worksheet information; on the right side, when numerical data is selected, common calculations such as Sum and Average display.