Spreadsheet |
 Contents of cells Entering a formula Changing contents of cells Copying cells Absolute and relative references
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Contents of cellsA cell can contain numbers, text or formulas. A cell may contain a formula but it will display the value of that formula. Cell B3 contains the formula "=A1+B1" but displays the value 11; similarly C3 contains "=A1*B1+1" but displays 29:
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Entering a formulaSelect the cell you wish to enter your formula into, type "=" and then enter the formula itself:
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Changing contents of cellsThis display shows how the values in various cells can be changed all at once. Cell A1 contains the number 3. Cells C1, C2 and C3 contain the formulas "=A1+1", "=2*A1-1" and "=3*A1-3" respectively. Once the number in cell A1 is changed from 3 to 4, the values in the other three cells change automatically:
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Copying cellsThis display shows how you can replicate (or "copy" - though this is a misleading term) cells easily using the mouse. Cell A1 contains the number 1. Cell B1 contains the formula "=A1*A1". The mouse highlights these two cells then drags down four more rows. The contents of cell B5 are shown as "=A5*A5". This shows how the spreadsheet automatically changes formulas when replicating them. If all it did was simply copy then B5 would contain "=A1*A1".
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Absolute and relative cell referencesWhen you create a formula and need to "copy" it to some other cells, you need to decide between relative and absolute cell references. Cell B1 contains the relative formula "=5*A1"; cell C1 contains the absolute formula "=5*$A$1". These two formulas are then copied down two rows. In cell B3 you will find "=5*A3" whereas cell C3 contains exactly the same formula, "=5*$A$1", as in C1 (and C2).
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