Computer Info April 19, 2000
This Weeks Program
Some basics in spreadsheets
using Excel 97. And some very good news the library has finally received
their new projector and we will be able to use it for the meeting.
Excel Formatting cells
What happens when we type the number 52 into a cell?
If the cell is formatted
to contain text then the number 52 will be left justified.
If the cell is formatted
to contain a number then the number will be right justified and
will contain the amount of decimal places that is specified.
If the cell is formatted
to the default of general then the number will be right justified
and will only contain whatever decimal places that you type.
If the cell is formatted
to special social security number then the number will be shown
as 000-00-0052.
If the cell is formatted
to special zip code plus 4 then the number will be shown as
00000-0052.
If the cell is formatted
to date then the date will be shown as 02/21/00 or February 21,
1900. In other words, if you do not type in a specified date type, then
it assumes that you are telling it the number of days since the beginning
of 1900.
A few other formatting types that you can use are ---
Fractions up to three
digits. Enter 45.3389 and 45 142/419 will be displayed.
Percentage . Enter
45.3389 and 45.3389% will be displayed.
Scientific. Enter
45.3389 and 4.53E+01 will be displayed.
How to change the formatting of one cell or a row/column of cells
------
You can change the formatting
of an individual cell by right-clicking on it and choosing FORMAT CELLS.
You can change the formatting
of an entire column or row by click on the title of the column (Ex. A
B C, etc) or on the title of a row (Ex. 1 2 3, etc). Then right-clicking
within this highlighted column or row and choosing FORMAT CELLS.
Number Display in Excel
When you type this number (34.6565656565)
in a cell in Excel, you will probably notice that the number displayed
will have less decimal places than the number that you entered. You can
determine the number of decimal places that you wish displayed. Just highlight
the cell or cells that you want to make number cells, go to FORMAT on the
top menu and choose CELLS. On the tab labeled NUMBER highlight NUMBER
in the CATEGORY box and then you will be given the choice of how many decimal
places.
But what happens to your
calculations that use this cell when you only display two decimal places
but you typed in a number with six decimal places? Will it be accurate
enough?
Test it out by typing the
same number into three different cells. Then format each one of these cells
to display a different amount of decimal places. Multiply each one of these
cells by three (3). You will be surprised to find that the answer is exactly
the same in each case. Also, when you place your cursor in each one of
these cells that you formatted, you will notice that the complete number
is displayed in the FORMULA BAR above the worksheet.
Excel Performing calculations
To perform any type of calculation
in a spreadsheet, you must let the program know that is what you intend
to do. You do this by starting your entry into a cell with an equal
sign.
Ex. = 3 + 5 * 8 --- the answer should be 43
Why isnt it 64 ??
Mathematical formulas are
always worked following the rule of division and multiplication are
performed first then followed by addition and subtraction. Therefore,
in the above formula the multiplication of 5 times 8 is done first (40)
then the 3 is added to it.
To make your formula easier
to understand by everyone, it is best to use parentheses ( )
Ex. = 3 + (5 * 8) -- then most people can see that the answer is
3 + 40 or 43.
Astronomy Pictures
Astronomy Picture of the Day ---
Each day a different image
or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief
explanation written by a professional astronomer.
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
I want to hurt my computer
I want to buy a software program
that, when run, causes my computer to suffer grievously, though not permanently.
When my screen freezes or turns blue, I want a special button I can push
to make the CPU start squealing like a motherboard.
I want a device that stores
an electrical charge in my telephone. For every minute I spend on hold
waiting for technical support to answer, the charge would increase in intensity.
When the guy from tech support finally answers, the electrical bolt of
energy would be discharged into him.
When my system crashes and
I lose a file that has taken me more than an hour to create, I want someone
from the computer company to come out and retype it for me.
I don't understand why new,
"upgraded" software creates files that cannot be read by old, reliable
software with the same name. Is there no one in the computer industry who
has noticed that word processor files all look alike once they are open?
Why can't 6.0 recognize a 7.0 file? It's all just words, isn't it?
Not-So-Freeware
(by John C. Dvorak Forbes Magazine April 3, 2000)
The concept of ads inside software
began as a way to help shareware authors make money on a product that was
already being given away. Shareware is distributed free in the hope that
people will like it and will voluntarily pay for it later.
Ads supporting shareware
are fine, but my big problem is that the trend is moving up the food chain.
Traditional retail software packages are now containing adware.
Conducent is a hot player
in this evolving field. At no charge, Conducent lets shareware developers
incorporate its ad-serving technology into their software. This technology
embeds an ad within the application and switches the ad every 60 seconds.
When the user go online, a small application that tracks the ads sends
details to a central office about how many ads have been shown to an individual
user. The shareware developer collects 60% of the ad revenue generated
in the process, with Conducent getting the rest.
This adware is creeping
into mainstream retail software.