Topic Spreadsheet 2 of 4 Section General Purpose Packages - (GPP) Content - What you need to know

G/C complex formula, eg. = (A2 + B2)*C2/40 functions MIN, MAX and AVERAGE replicate

alter cell format and attributes, eg. 2 decimal places cell protection - 'lock' contents

Features of a spreadsheet package Complex Formula A complex formula may contain a combination of (+), (-), (*) and (/). Brackets will sometimes be needed to make the calculation work correctly - they tell the spreadsheet what part to work out first.

Examples : eg. = A3 + B3 - C3/100 eg. = (A2 + B2) * C2/40

Functions It is possible to perform complex calculations using pre-defined functions like SUM. The spreadsheet package has a large number of these functions. You need to know about MIN, MAX and AVERAGE for this work at General level. MIN finds the smallest (MINimum) value in a chosen range. MAX finds the largest (MAXimum) value in a chosen range. AVERAGE calculates the average value in a chosen range.

eg. = MIN(B2:F2) ... finds the smallest value 2 eg. = MAX (B2:F2) ... finds the largest value 9 eg. = AVERAGE (B2:F2) ... calculates 6

Replicate A replica is a copy of the original. Spreadsheets allow you to replicate a formula by copying it down a column or along a row. The cell references change to match the column and row that the formula is copied to. Fill Down and Fill Right are commands usually found under the Edit menu. They allow a formula to be copied down a column or along a row. The formula must be selected and the new cells must be highlighted by dragging over them. Replication is much faster than typing in lots of similar formulas.

How to explain the steps :-

• type the original formula into D4 = B4*C4 • highlight the formula and drag down to D10 • select Fill Down from the Edit menu

Cell Protection Most spreadsheets allow protection of blocks of cells. This means that the cells cannot be modified. This prevents errors in your spreadsheets caused by accidents, eg. maybe someone using your spreadsheet deletes a value or changes a formula. If you want to change a protected spreadsheet you would switch off the cell protection, make the changes, and then switch the protection back on. A password can be set to allow access.

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DGS S Grade Computing Studies Page 1

Alter cell format and attributes When you enter a value, text or formula into a cell it is displayed using particular attributes. Some examples of these attributes are:

• Number of decimal places

eg 2 decimal places would show values like 3.14

• Use of currency formatting (£, $ etc.) eg values would be shown as £27.45

• Use of date formatting eg. a date could show as 23/9/04 or 23rd Sept 2004

• Colour of numbers/letters • Size, style and alignment of numbers/letters etc.

eg headings could be in bold and larger print

Questions 1 Why would you have brackets in a complex formula?

2 Name two spreadsheet functions.

3 Replication is a special feature of a spreadsheet. Explain what replication does.

4 Why would you use replication ?

5 Why would you use cell protection ?

6 Name two ways to change the format of a cell.

7 Write down the steps to replicate this formula from E3 to E9. •

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DGS S Grade Computing Studies Page 2