CGS1100 Excel

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.

Freeze Panes

A command that enables you to select one or more rows or columns and freeze (lock) them into place; the locked rows and columns become separate panes.

Merge & Center

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

Find and replace (Excel)

A command that searches the cells in a worksheet—or in a selected range—for matches and then replaces each match with a replacement value of your choice.

Cell style

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

Conditional format

A format that changes the appearance of a cell—for example, by adding cell shading or font color—based on a condition; if the condition is true, the cell is formatted based on that condition, and if the condition is false, the cell is not formatted.

IF function

A function that uses a logical test to check whether a condition is met, and then returns one value if true, and another value if false.

Logical functions

A group of functions that test for specific conditions and that typically use conditional tests to determine whether specified conditions are true or false.

Row

A horizontal group of cells in a worksheet.

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.

Excel table

A series of rows and columns that contains related data that is managed independently from the data in other rows and columns in the worksheet.

Vertical window split box (Excel)

A small box on the vertical scroll bar with which you can split the window into two vertical views of the same worksheet.

Data point

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

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.

Insert Worksheet button

Located on the row of sheet tabs, a sheet tab that, when clicked, inserts an additional worksheet into the workbook.

Lettered column headings

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

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.

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.

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 solid or transparent, and backgrounds that are dark or light.

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.

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.

Select All box

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

Data bar

A cell format consisting of a shaded bar that provides a visual cue to the reader about the value of a cell relative to other cells; the length of the bar represents the value in the cell—a longer bar represents a higher value and a shorter bar represents s lower value.

Column chart

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

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.

Context sensitive

A command associated with activities in which you are engaged; often activated by right-clicking a screen item.

AutoComplete (Excel)

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.

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.

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 digits 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.

Function

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

Function

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

Number format

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

COUNTIF function

A statistical function that counts the number of cells within a range that meet the given condition and that has two arguments—the range of cells to check and the criteria.

Sparkline

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

AutoFit

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

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.

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.

Cell address

Another name for a cell reference.

Value

Another name for a constant value.

Labels

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

Spreadsheet

Another name for a worksheet.

AutoSum

Another name for the SUM function.

x-axis

Another name for the horizontal (category) axis.

y-axis

Another name for the vertical (value) axis.

Cell content

Anything typed into a cell.

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 (Excel)

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

Criteria (Excel)

Conditions that you specify in a logical function.

Number values

Constant values consisting of only numbers.

Text values

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

Relative cell reference

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

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.

Comparison operator

Symbols that evaluate each value to determine if it is the same (=), greater than (>), less than (<), or in between a range of values as specified by the criteria.

Data (Excel)

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.

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.

Pixel

The abbreviated name for a picture element.

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.

Active cell

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

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.

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.

Underlying formula

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

Chart (Excel)

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.

Cell

The intersection of a column and a row.

Filter

The process of displaying only a portion of the data based on matching a specific value to show only the data that meets the criteria that you specify.

Scaling (Excel)

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

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.

Arguments

The values that an Excel function uses to perform calculations or operations.

Detail sheets

The worksheets that contain the details of the information summarized on a summary sheet.

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.

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.

Chart Layouts gallery

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

Chart Styles gallery

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

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.

Normal view (Excel)

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.

Column

A vertical group of cells in a worksheet.

Horizontal window split box (Excel)

An Excel window element with which you can split the worksheet into two horizontal views of the same worksheet.

Category axis

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

Row heading

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

Operators

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

Formula AutoComplete

An Excel feature that, after typing an = (equal sign) and the beginning letter or letters of a function name, displays a list of function names that match the typed letter(s), and from which you can insert the function by pointing to its name and pressing the Tab key or double-clicking.

Workbook

An Excel file that contains one or more worksheets.

AVERAGE function

An Excel function that adds a group of values, and then divides the result by the number of values in the group.

Drag and drop

The action of moving a selection by dragging it to a new location.

Numbered row headings

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

Status bar (Excel)

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.