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Lesson 2: Quick calculations

Year 7 – Modelling Data – Spreadsheets

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Pixel art flags

Starter activity

Take out your homework from the last lesson and prepare to swap it with someone else!

Open up a new spreadsheet and follow the instructions to create their flag

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Times tables

Starter activity

Open the sheet called “Starter – Fill in the blanks”

Fill in the blanks to complete the 2-times tables!

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Lesson 2: Quick calculations

Objectives

In this lesson you will:

Use basic formulas with cell references for calculations in a spreadsheet (+, -, *, /)
Use the autofill tool to replicate cell data

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Super spreadsheets trick #1

Activity 1

Get the spreadsheet to do all the calculating!

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Your first formula

Activity 1

In the cell, type:

= C20 * E20

Press Enter

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This is the better way to use formulas: with cell references. Here you are doing a calculation based on values in other cells.

(Option to do a demonstration of this.)

Notice that the referenced cell becomes highlighted as you type, so you know you’ve got the right cell.

It is important that the input text begins with the = symbol; there cannot be any other text (including space) before it. This tells the program that you want it to do a calculation for you and to show the result in this cell. Note that, on computers, we usually use a star for multiplication.

(Spaces in between characters have been added here for readability, but they are not necessary)

Notice that you’re typing the same formula each time, only the cell references change (but that change still follows a pattern, i.e. it’s always the adjacent cell).

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Using a formula

A formula always starts with the = symbol

Symbol for multiplication: *

Symbol for division: /

Activity 1

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Super spreadsheets trick #2

Activity 1

Spreadsheets can automatically fill in data!

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Party time!

Activity 1

You are going to bake treats for a party

You need to make a different quantity to what it says in the recipe

Calculation quiz

764 ÷ 4 = ?

Formula: =C7/E7

Plenary

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Next lesson

Summary

In this lesson you used…

Basic formulas to perform calculations

Autofill to quickly perform calculations

Next lesson you will…

Look at the difference between data and information

Collect some data

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