How to use EXCEL
to manage data
1. Click Start and then Programs.
2. Select Microsoft Excel.
3. Type in your data in columns. Be sure to
label each column up at the top.
4. After you have entered your data, you are
ready to start manipulating it.
Topic
Page
To “fit” the typing into cells that make up columns
To get a sum
What’s the “=” sign for?
To get an average
To graph change over time
To calculate standard deviation
To fill across with the same function
To sort data
To insert a row
To insert a column
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To “fit” the typing into cells that make up columns:
1. After typing in the information for a whole column, use your mouse to highlight the
column.
2. Go up to Format in the toolbar.
3. Select Column.
4. Select Autofit Selection.
5. Repeat with other columns as needed.
6. If you wish, you can wait until after you type in all the columns. Then, highlight
ALL the columns at once. Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 above.
To get a sum:
1. Using your mouse, highlight all of the data points in the column.
2. Include a single cell at the very
bottom of the column.
3. Click the “sum” icon in the toolbar.
4. The sum of the numbers will show up
at the bottom of the column of
numbers.
What’s the “=” sign for?
=
All formulas (functions) in Excel start with an
sign. What immediately follows the =
sign is the function you wish to perform. Then, highlighting the cells with your mouse
selects the range of data. When you press the enter key, the function is performed.
To get an average:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Go to the first empty cell at the bottom of the column.
Type in this formula: =average(
Then, taking your mouse, highlight the column of numbers you wish to average.
Click into the space right next to the left parenthesis.
Type in the right parenthesis. Your formula will look like this:
When you press the enter key, the average
will show up at the bottom of the column of
numbers.
2
To graph change over time:
1. Look at this table of values for three different quizzes given over a period of time.
You see that each quiz score is entered and the average has been calculated. What we
want to see is what this performance looks like over time for each student.
2. One of the ways we can look at this data is by using a bar graph. This is what it
might look like. Very quickly, you can see the progress (or lack thereof) for each
student’s performance.
Quiz 1
Quiz 2
Quiz 3
Ap
pl
e,
Jo
Be
nc
h,
To
C
ar
m
r,
La
sh
on
da
D
en
ch
,R
ic
o
Fi
ne
,V
er
y
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
3. How did we create this bar graph?
•
Using your mouse,
highlight the three
columns of data like
this. Be sure to
include the kids
names (if you would
like the names to
show up on your
final bar graph).
3
•
Click the Chart Wizard icon in the toolbar:
•
Click the Column icon and then Next.
•
Click the Series tab:
•
Type in the correct heading name for each series. In this case, for Series 1,
type Quiz 1. For Series 2, type Quiz 2. For Series 3, type Quiz 3.
•
Click Next.
•
Click Next again.
•
At this screen, select As a new sheet.
•
Click Finish.
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To calculate standard deviation:
The standard deviation is a measure of how widely values are spread from the average value
(the mean). The lower the standard deviation, the smaller the spread of the data (lower is
“better”).
1. Go to the first empty cell at the bottom of the column.
2. Type in this formula: =stdev(
3. Then, taking your mouse, highlight the column of numbers for which you want to
calculate the standard deviation.
4. Click into the space right next to the left parenthesis.
5. Type in the right parenthesis. Your formula will look like this:
6. When you press the enter
key, the standard deviation
will show up at the bottom
of the column of numbers.
To fill across with the same function:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Take the cell you want to “copy” from.
Take you mouse and drag to the right.
Go up to Edit.
Select Fill.
Select Right.
To sort data:
•
•
•
One of the things to consider as you enter data is how you might want to sort it.
For example, if you want to sort results based on gender, be sure to include a column
for this when you enter the data. If you want to sort by ethnicity, include a column
for this.
Once you have the columns, you are ready to sort the data.
1. Highlight the data in the column you
wish to sort.
2. Go up to the toolbar and select Data.
3. Select AÈZ Sort.
4. THIS STEP IS IMPORTANT: On the
pop-up screen, select Expand the
selection. What this does is to make
sure that the whole row of data stays
with the corresponding data that you
are sorting.
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5. Then click Sort.
6. Choose how you wish to sort.
7. Then, click OK.
NOTE: The easiest way to sort is alphabetically. For example, if you sort by
gender, all the females will be listed first and the males listed second.
After you sort, you can then find the mean and the standard deviation if desired.
See previous sections described.
To insert a ROW:
•
•
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Click the number of the row (above which) you want a new blank row. It will be
highlighted.
Go up to the toolbar and click Insert.
Click Row.
To insert a COLUMN:
•
•
•
The letter of the column where you want a new blank column. It will be highlighted.
Go up to the toolbar and click Insert.
Click Column.
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