This lesson will continue on from the ideas introduced in lesson 1.2, and look at Excel functions in a little more depth. Once you get comfortable using functions, you will be surprised at how much you can improve your worksheets. Your options for analyzing data and automating calculations will expand, allowing you to take your worksheets to a higher level. 

In this lesson you will learn more about Excel’s insert function feature. In addition, you will become familiar with conditional if functions and explore the concept of nested functions. You will also examine the binomial distribution function as an example of how Excel can help you handle complex statistical calculations. In the practice exercise you will go step by step through the process of creating nested If functions.

In this Lesson you will learn the basics of the Excel screen, and the various tools and components that Excel provides to make your work easier. You will learn what the standard and formatting toolbars are, and what they are used for. You will learn about the different Excel menus and how to navigate and make selections from them. You will also learn about the Excel 2003 task panes and how to view and switch between them. We will discuss some useful keyboard shortcuts that can help you work efficiently, and in the practice exercise, you will move step by step through a series of menu selections, and experiment with some basic toolbar buttons.

You can get to any Excel2003 function or feature by using menus and toolbars.

Although it may seem daunting at first, getting familiar with these components now will pay off when you need to perform more advanced tasks later on.