MS Excel Basics and Functionalities

Vocabulary flashcards covering core concepts, interface elements, functions, formulas, error codes, and keyboard shortcuts in Microsoft Excel.

Formula Bar

The area in the Excel window used to enter and view values or formulas for the active cell.

Field

A column within an Excel data table or datasheet representing a specific category of data.

Record

A row of related data within an Excel data table or datasheet.

Cell

The intersection of a row and a column in an Excel worksheet.

Referencing

The method of retrieving and using data values from cells located in different worksheets.

Workbook

A collection of one or more worksheets saved together within a single Excel file.

Orientation

A command on the Home tab of the Ribbon used to rotate the angle or direction of text within a selected cell.

AutoFilter

A feature under the Data tab used to selectively display data rows that meet specified criteria.

Freeze Panes

A feature located on the View tab that locks specific rows or columns so they remain visible while scrolling through a worksheet.

Increase Decimal

A command button on the Home tab ribbon in MS Excel that increases the number of decimal places shown for selected numeric data and rounds the displayed value accordingly.

Fill Handle

The small square at the bottom-right corner of the active cell cursor used to copy formulas, values, or extended series across adjacent cells.

Name Box

The box located to the left of the formula bar that displays the active cell reference or the name of the currently selected cell range.

Absolute Reference

A cell reference containing dollar signs before both column letter and row number (such as $B$1:D$10) that keeps the referenced cell fixed when a formula is copied.

Series

A set or collection of related data points plotted together in an Excel chart.

SQRT Function

A math function in Excel used to calculate the square root of a given positive number.

MOD Function

A math function that returns the remainder after a number is divided by a specified divisor.

SUMIF Function

A function that calculates the sum of values across a specified range that satisfy a given condition.

PROPER Function

A text function that converts a string to title case by capitalizing the first letter of each word while setting all other letters to lowercase.

Not Equal Operator ($<>$)

The comparison operator used in Excel conditional expressions and functions to indicate that two values are not equal.

#NAME! Error

An error code generated when Excel does not recognize text entered in a formula, typically caused by a misspelled function name.

#DIV/0! Error

An error code displayed when a formula attempts to divide a numeric value by zero or by a blank cell.

#VALUE! Error

An error code indicating that a formula involves an incompatible data type, such as attempting arithmetic operations on text.

#REF! Error

An error code indicating that a formula refers to a cell that cannot be referenced or has been deleted.

Column Width Error (#####)

A cell display pattern indicating that the current column width is too narrow to display the complete number or date value.

Ctrl + Home

The keyboard shortcut that moves the active cursor directly to the first cell ($A1$) of a worksheet.

F2 Key

The keyboard function key used to enter edit mode directly within the currently selected cell without overwriting its content.

ESC Key

The keyboard key used to cancel the current entry and discard uncommitted changes while editing a cell.

Ctrl + A

The keyboard shortcut used to select the entire content of a worksheet.

Ctrl + P

The keyboard shortcut that opens the Print dialog box to configure worksheet printing parameters.