Excel Chapter 1

AutoSum

A button that provides quick access to the SUM function.

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.

Marge & Center

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

General Format

A default format that excel applies to numbers; this format has no specific characteristics.

Cell Style

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

Series

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

Row

A horizontal group of cells in a worksheet.

Function

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

Theme

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

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.

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.

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.

Formula Bar

An elements 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.

AutoFit

An excel feature that adjusts the width of a column to fit the cell contents of the Midwest cell in the column.

Recommended Charts

An excel feature that displays a customized set of charts that, according to excels calculations, will best fit your data based on the range of data that you selected.

Auto fill

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

Workbook

An excel file that contains one or more worksheets.

Label

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

Spreadsheet

Another name for a worksheet.

X-axis

Another name for the horizontal (category) axis.

Y-axis

Another name for the vertical (value) axis.

Format

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

Relative cell reference

In 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.

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

Pixel

The abbreviated name for a picture element.

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.

Active cell

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

Accounting number format

The excel number format that applies to a thousand comma separator where appropriate.

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.

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

The intersection of a column and row.

Sheet tabs

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

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 and 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.

Worksheet

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

Fill Handle

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

Operators

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

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.