Lesson 1      The Workbook

The Excel Window

 Most of the Excel screen is devoted to the display of the workbook.  The workbook is made up of related worksheets.  Each worksheet consists of rows and columns. The intersection of a row and a column is a rectangular area called a cell.      

Cells

The worksheet is made up of cells. There is a cell at the intersection of each row and column. A cell can contain a text, numbers, formulas, or functions. A text entry is used to label or explain the contents of the worksheet. A formula is an equation that calculates a value; a function is a special formula that places either values or characters in cells. A value entry can either be a constant or the result of a formula. The resulting value of a formula will change when the components (arguments) of the formula change. The appeal of computerized spreadsheet programs is the user's ability to change one value and watch all other values that depend on that first value change as the worksheet automatically recalculates.

Rows, Columns, and Sheets

The Excel worksheet contains 16,384 rows that extend down the worksheet, numbered 1 through 16384.
The Excel worksheet contains 256 columns that extend across the worksheet, lettered A through Z, AA through AZ, BA through BZ, and continuing to IA through IZ.
The Excel worksheet can contain as many as 256 sheets, labeled Sheet1 through Sheet256. The initial number of sheets in a workbook, which can be changed by the user, is 16.

Keyboard/mouse shortcut  for Zoom

Control, Roll:  When you need to increase/decrease Zoom, leave your cursor in place - just press Control and Roll the mouse wheel - forward to increase Zoom; backward to decrease.  This also works in Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint!.  It really helps with eyestrain, and you don't lose your place on the worksheet.