Introduction to Microsoft Excel

1. Introduction to Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet Programs

2. Spreadsheets • What’s a spreadsheet? • Spreadsheets are computer programs designed to organize data and show relationships between various pieces of data. • Spreadsheets have had more to do with the spread of personal computers than any other program. • Businesses found them more useful than word processing.

3. Spreadsheets • A bit of history: • The first spreadsheet in common use was called VisiCalc. • It was eventually replaced by Lotus 123 • When Lotus 123 was being developed bankers wouldn’t loan Lotus any money. • Even Lotus’s most optimistic projection was at about 45,000 copies of the program the first year. • The first year Lotus sold several million copies of the program.

4. Spreadsheets • How they work: • They use cells to contain information (Data) • Every cell has an address with a letter and a number (Much like the old game Battleship). • Simple formulas can then be used to set up relationships between the cells.

5. Spreadsheets • Enough background, Let’s get started!