basics of computers

1. Spreadsheet
A spreadsheet is a grid that organizes data into
columns and rows. Spreadsheets make it easy to
display information, and people can insert formulas
to work with the data. For example, there is a
particular icon that has a formula to sum up
numbers that are given. This icon is called auto
sum. Information can also be sorted and filtered.
People use spreadsheet programs to learn about
different kinds of things, and to make decisions.
Spreadsheets are based on different varieties of
subjects

2. Applications of spreadsheets
• Microsoft Excel (full name Microsoft Office Excel) is a
proprietary spreadsheet application written and
distributed by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows and
Mac OS X. It features calculation, graphing tools, pivot
tables and, except for Excel 2008 for Mac OS X, a macro
programming language called VBA (
Visual Basic for Applications). It is overwhelmingly the
dominant spreadsheet application available for these
platforms and has been so since version 5 in 1993[
citation needed], and is bundled as part of
Microsoft Office. Excel is one of the most popular
microcomputer applications to date.[vague

3. Applications of spreadsheets
• Spreadsheet applications (sometimes referred to simply
as spreadsheets) are computer programs that let you
create and manipulate spreadsheets electronically. In a
spreadsheet application, each value sits in a cell. You
can define what type of data is in each cell and how
different cells depend on one another. The relationships
between cells are called formulas, and the names of the
cells are called labels.
• Once you have defined the cells and the formulas for
linking them together, you can enter your data. You can
then modify selected values to see how all the other
values change accordingly. This enables you to study
various what-if scenarios.

4. • A simple example of a useful spreadsheet application is
one that calculates mortgage payments for a house. You
would define five cells:
• 1. total cost of the house
• 2. down payment
• 3. mortgage rate
• 4. mortgage term
• 5. monthly payment
• Once you had defined how these cells depend on one
another, you could enter numbers and play with various
possibilities. For example, keeping all the other values
the same, you could see how different mortgage rates
would affect your monthly payments.

5. • There are a number of spreadsheet applications
on the market, Lotus 1-2-3 and Excel being
among the most famous. The more powerful
spreadsheet applications support graphics
features that enable you to produce charts and
graphs from the data.
• Most spreadsheet applications are
multidimensional, meaning that you can link one
spreadsheet to another. A
three-dimensional spreadsheet, for example, is
like a stack of spreadsheets all connected by
formulas. A change made in one spreadsheet
automatically affects other spreadsheets.

6. Programming
• Programming is the process of writing a sequence of instructions to be
executed by a computer to solve a problem. It is also considered as the act of
writing computer programs. Computer programs are set of instructions that tell
a computer to perform certain operations. The instructions in programs are
logically sequenced and assembled through the act of programming. Computer
programming has many facets: It is like engineering because computer
programs must be carefully designed to be reliable and inexpensive to
maintain. It is an art because good programs require that the programmer use
the intuition and a personal sense of style. It is a literary effort because
programs must be understood by computers, and this requires mastery of a
programming language.
• Programmers, people who write programs use different programming language
to communicate instructions to the computer. The programmer begins the
programming process by analyzing the problem, breaking it into manageable
pieces, and developing a general solution for each piece called an algorithm.
Algorithm is the instruction for solving a problem or sub-problem in a finite
amount of time using a finite amount of data. An algorithm is a verbal or written
description of a logical sequence of actions applied to objects

7. Steps to Program Development
• System Analysis
• Specification and Design
• Program
• Debug
• Alpha Test
• Beta Test
• Deliver the Software