Spreadsheet:Entering data and summing

Introduction
On this page we get to understand how data is entered into a spreadsheet and how we can use the cell references to add numbers.


 * Labels are text entries, such as a person's name, address phone
 * Values are numerical values that may be used in calculations, such as 12, 12.89 and dates

This page will show you how to create the following spreadsheet.

Entering and removing Labels and Values

 * Move to the cell you wish to enter or remove the data
 * Use arrows or
 * Use mouse and click on the cell where you want to put the data
 * Enter your data then press
 * [Enter] to accept the data and drop down a row
 * [Esc] to reject the data, or
 * [Arrow key] to accept the data and move in the direction of the chosen arrow
 * To remove the data, press the [Delete] key

Adding up the cells
The real power of a spreadsheet is its ability to easily do mathematical calculations on groups of values.

The most common thing we want to do is add up a column of row of numbers.

In the example we want to add up the numbers in the Jan column and put the answer in cell C11. There are lots of ways to do this.

Manually adding up a collection of values
So there has got to be a better way.

Adding up the cells using cell references
We can use the cell references to create a more adaptable formula

Adding up the cells using cell references and the mouse
If you are a visual person using the mouse can make creating formulae much easier.

Simplifying the formulae
Obviously spreadsheets are used often to add up columns so there has got to be a shorthand way to create a formula to add up a sequence of numbers.

Fortunately most spreadsheets have built in functions that come to the rescue. To add up a series of numbers we use the SUM function.

Using the autosum button
To make things even easier, Excel also has an autosum button (on Ribbon, home tab, in the editing group)

Extension activities
Finally, to show you have understood what has been discussed,