Understanding the Spreadsheet Interface

Before we start working with data, let's understand the main parts of a spreadsheet interface.

The Ribbon

At the top of Excel/Sheets, you'll find the Ribbon - a toolbar organized into tabs:

- Home: Basic formatting, copy/paste, common actions

• Data: Sorting, filtering, data validation, importing

• Insert: Charts, pivot tables, images

• View: Display options like gridlines, zoom

  In our learning environment, we use a simplified Ribbon with the actions you need for each lesson.

  The Sheet Grid

  The main area shows your data in a grid:

• Columns labeled A, B, C, D...

• Rows labeled 1, 2, 3, 4...

• Cells at each intersection (A1, B2, etc.)

  Sheet Tabs

  At the bottom, you'll see tabs for different sheets:

• Sheet1, Sheet2, etc.

• Click to switch between sheets

• Each sheet is like a separate page in your workbook

  Selecting Data

  - Click a cell to select it

• Click a column header (A, B, C) to select the entire column

• Click a row number (1, 2, 3) to select the entire row

  In our labs, you'll select columns to apply operations like formatting, sorting, and cleaning.

  Ready to Practice!

  In the next lesson, you'll work with real data in our Spreadsheet Lab. Let's go!