Chapter 1: Creating a Worksheet and Charting Data

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.

Select All box

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

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.

Merge & Center

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

Cell style

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

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.

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.

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.

AutoFit

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

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.

Workbook

An Excel file that contains one or more worksheets. Workbook-level buttons: Buttons at the far right of the Ribbon tabs that minimize or restore a displayed workbook.

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.

AutoSum

Another name for the SUM function. Category axis: The area along the bottom of a chart that identifies the categories of data; also referred to as the x-axis.

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.

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.

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.

Insert Worksheet button

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

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 (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.

Numbered row headings

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

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.

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.

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.

Column

A vertical group of cells in a worksheet.

Labels

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

Underlying formula

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

Cell reference

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

Arithmetic operators

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Horizontal window split box (Excel)

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

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.

Value

Another name for a constant value.

Spreadsheet

Another name for a worksheet.

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.

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.

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

The intersection of a column and a row.

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.

SUM function

A predefined formula that adds all the numbers in a selected range of 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 digits that will fit in a cell in an Excel worksheet using the default font.

Function

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Pixel

The abbreviated name for a picture element.