How Worksheets Work

Microsoft Excel is most commonly used to create worksheets. A worksheet is a collection of information laid out in columns and rows. As illustrated in Figure 1, each worksheet cell can contain one of two kinds of input:

  • A value is a piece of information that does not change. Values can be text, numbers, dates, or times. A cell containing a value usually displays the value.

  • A formula is a collection of values, cell references, operators, and predefined functions that, when evaluated by Excel, produces a result. A cell containing a formula usually displays the results of the formula.

Figure 1. This very simple worksheet illustrates how a spreadsheet program like Excel works with values and formulas.

Although any information can ...

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