Unit-3

Introduction

Microsoft Excel is the go-to tool for working with data. There are probably a handful of people who haven’t used
Excel, given its immense popularity. Excel is a widely used software application in industries today, built to
generate reports and business insights. Excel supports several in-built applications that make it easier to use.
MS Excel is a commonly used Microsoft Office application. It is a spreadsheet program which is used to save and
analyse numerical data. we bring to you the important features of MS Excel, along with an overview of how to use
the program, its benefits and other important elements. A few sample MS Excel question and answers are also given
further below in this article for the reference of Government exam aspirants.
To learn more about the other programs under Microsoft Office, visit the linked article.

Table of Contents:

1. Basics of MS Excel
2. Features of MS Excel
3. Benefits of Using MS Excel
4. MS Excel – Points To Remember
5. MS Excel Questions and Answers

Computer Awareness is an integral part of the syllabus for major competitive exams and questions from MS Excel
may also be asked in these exams. To get the detailed syllabus for Computer Knowledge, candidates can visit the
linked article.

Looking for study material to ace the Computer Knowledge section in the various Government exams??
Refer to the following links and ace the upcoming competitive exams:

 Microsoft Windows
 Fundamentals of Computer
 Important Computer Shortcut Keys
 Computer Abbreviations
 Important Computer-Related Terms

Basics of MS Excel
What is MS Excel?
MS Excel is a spreadsheet program where one can record data in the form of tables. It is easy to analyse data in an
Excel spreadsheet. The image given below represents how an Excel spreadsheet looks like:

How to open MS Excel?

To open MS Excel on your computer, follow the steps given below:

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  Click on Start
 Then All Programs
 Next step is to click on MS Office
 Then finally, choose the MS-Excel option
Alternatively, you can also click on the Start button and type MS Excel in the search option available.
What is a cell?
A spreadsheet is in the form of a table comprising rows and columns. The rectangular box at the intersection point
between rows and columns forms a cell. Given below is an image of a cell:

What is Cell Address?

The cell address is the name by which is cell can be addressed. For example, if row 7 is interested in column G, then the cell
address is G7.

Features of MS Excel
Various editing and formatting can be done on an Excel spreadsheet. Discussed below are the various features of MS Excel.
The image below shows the composition of features in MS Excel:

 Home
 Comprises options like font size, font styles, font colour, background colour, alignment, formatting options and
styles, insertion and deletion of cells and editing options
Insert
 Comprises options like table format and style, inserting images and figures, adding graphs, charts and
sparklines, header and footer option, equation and symbols

Page Layout
 Themes, orientation and page setup options are available under the page layout option
Formulas
 Since tables with a large amount of data can be created in MS excel, under this feature, you can add formulas
to your table and get quicker solutions
Data
 Adding external data (from the web), filtering options and data tools are available under this category
Review

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  Proofreading can be done for an excel sheet (like spell check) in the review category and a reader can add
comments in this part
View
 Different views in which we want the spreadsheet to be displayed can be edited here. Options to zoom in and
out and pane arrangement are available under this category
For those willing to learn more about MS Excel, can refer to the video given below and understand every small aspect of this
program in detail.
Benefits of Using MS Excel
MS Excel is widely used for various purposes because the data is easy to save, and information can be added and removed without
any discomfort and less hard work.
Given below are a few important benefits of using MS Excel:
 Easy To Store Data: Since there is no limit to the amount of information that can be saved in a spreadsheet, MS Excel is
widely used to save data or to analyse data. Filtering information in Excel is easy and convenient.
 Easy To Recover Data: If the information is written on a piece of paper, finding it may take longer, however, this is not
the case with excel spreadsheets. Finding and recovering data is easy.
 Application of Mathematical Formulas: Doing calculations has become easier and less time-taking with the formulas
option in MS excel
 More Secure: These spreadsheets can be password secured in a laptop or personal computer and the probability of
losing them is way lesser in comparison to data written in registers or piece of paper.
 Data at One Place: Earlier, data was to be kept in different files and registers when the paperwork was done. Now, this
has become convenient as more than one worksheet can be added in a single MS Excel file.
 Neater and Clearer Visibility of Information: When the data is saved in the form of a table, analysing it becomes easier.
Thus, information is a spreadsheet that is more readable and understandable.
Competitive exam aspirants must also be aware of other subjects which are a part of the Government exam syllabus. To review and
analyse the same, refer to the links below:
MS Excel – Points To Remember
There are certain things which one must know with respect to MS Excel, its applications and usage:
 An MS Excel file is saved with an extension of .xls
 Companies with large staff and workers use MS Excel as saving employee information becomes easier
 Excel spreadsheets are also used in hospitals where the information of patients can be saved more easily and can be
removed conveniently once their medical history is cleared
 The sheet on which you work is called a Worksheet
 Multiple worksheets can be added in a single Excel file
 This is a data processing application
Aspirants can also prepare themselves by regularly solving mock tests and question papers to analyse the standard of examination
and excelling in them. Refer to the links below, for the same:

Workbooks in Microsoft Excel

A collection of worksheets is referred to as a workbook (spreadsheets). Workbooks are your Excel files. You’ll
need to create a new workbook every time you start a new project in Excel. There are various ways to begin
working with an Excel workbook. You can either start from scratch or use a pre-designed template to create a
new workbook or access an existing one.
Creating a new Workbook
Follow these steps to create a new Blank workbook, giving a name to it & saving it:
Step 1: Click on the Microsoft Office button on the top-left corner.
Step 2: Then click on New.

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Step 3: A dialog box for New Workbook will pop up. Click on blank Document & then on Create tab.

A new blank workbook is created & it appears on your screen.

Note: MS Excel automatically opens a new Workbook for you when you open Excel in your system.

Inserting Text in Excel

In Excel, you can see multiple rows & columns, each rectangular box in a row or any column is called a
Cell. A cell address on a worksheet can be determined by combining a column letter and a row number.
Using these addresses, we can refer to any cell (in Excel formulas) in the worksheet.
As you click on any of the cells, you can see its address in the name box(Left most side below the
home tab).

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Step 1: Select a cell in which you want to insert text.
Step 2: Insert your data by typing something from the keyboard (In that selected cell)

Whatever text you enter, the same text appears in the formula bar too (for that cell)
Edit/Delete Cell Contents
Step 1. Select the cell to change or delete the text.
Step 2. To erase text and make a correction, press the Backspace key on your keyboard.
Or, To erase the whole contents of a cell, press the Delete key.
Or, The formula bar also allows you to alter and erase text. Simply select the cell and then position your
cursor in the formula bar.
Navigation In Excel
Step 1. Go to the right of the selected cell, press the Tab key.
Step 2. To move to the left of the selected cell, hold down Shift and then Tab.
Step 3. To traverse the worksheet, use the Page Up and Page Down keys(with Shift in Laptops).
Step 4. Use the arrow keys to navigate.
Saving The Workbook
Step 1. Click the Microsoft Office button on the left.

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 Step 2. Save or Save As are the options, choose one.
 Save As – lets you give the spreadsheet a name and save it in a specific location. If you want to
save the file for the first time, or if you want to save it under a new name, select Save As.
 If the file has already been named, just choose Save/press Ctrl + S to save your work.

Using Formulas In Excel

You can use predefined Excel formulas by just typing: “=Formula_Name(Arguments)”. When you type the first few
characters of any formula, excel provides a drop-down list of formulas matching that sequence of characters.
Example: To get an average of numbers present in the column B from row 2 to row 6, you can use the formula:
= AVERAGE(B2:B6)

Here B2:B6 defines the range of the numbers on which you want to do average.
You can see the formula in the formula tab near the name box.

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Here in the cell : B8 we wrote : =AVERAGE(B2:B6), so we get average as = (1+2+3+4+5)/5 = 15/5 =
3.
So, in this way you can easily create a workbook, work on it, navigate through it & save it.

Basic Excel Formulas and Functions

Excel formulas allow you to identify relationships between values in your spreadsheet’s cells, perform
mathematical calculations with those values, and return the resulting value in the cell of your choice.
Sum, subtraction, percentage, division, average, and even dates/times are among the formulas that
can be performed automatically. For example, =A1+A2+A3+A4+A5, which finds the sum of the range of
values from cell A1 to cell A5.
Excel Functions: A formula is a mathematical expression that computes the value of a cell. Functions
are predefined formulas that are already in Excel. Functions carry out specific calculations in a specific

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order based on the values specified as arguments or parameters. For example, =SUM (A1:A10). This
function adds up all the values in cells A1 through A10.
How to Insert Formulas in Excel?
This horizontal menu, shown below, in more recent versions of Excel allows you to find and insert Excel
formulas into specific cells of your spreadsheet. On the Formulas tab, you can find all available Excel
functions in the Function Library:

The more you use Excel formulas, the easier it will be to remember and perform them manually. Excel
has over 400 functions, and the number is increasing from version to version. The formulas can be
inserted into Excel using the following method:
1. Simple insertion of the formula(Typing a formula in the cell):
Typing a formula into a cell or the formula bar is the simplest way to insert basic Excel formulas.
Typically, the process begins with typing an equal sign followed by the name of an Excel function.
Excel is quite intelligent in that it displays a pop-up function hint when you begin typing the name of the
function.

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2. Using the Insert Function option on the Formulas Tab:
If you want complete control over your function insertion, use the Excel Insert Function dialogue box.
To do so, go to the Formulas tab and select the first menu, Insert Function. All the functions will be
available in the dialogue box.

3. Choosing a Formula from One of the Formula Groups in the Formula Tab:
This option is for those who want to quickly dive into their favorite functions. Navigate to the Formulas
tab and select your preferred group to access this menu. Click to reveal a sub-menu containing a list of
functions. You can then choose your preference. If your preferred group isn’t on the tab, click the More
Functions option — it’s most likely hidden there.

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4. Use Recently Used Tabs for Quick Insertion:
If retyping your most recent formula becomes tedious, use the Recently Used menu. It’s on the
Formulas tab, the third menu option after AutoSum.

Basic Excel Formulas and Functions:

1. SUM:
The SUM formula in Excel is one of the most fundamental formulas you can use in a spreadsheet,
allowing you to calculate the sum (or total) of two or more values. To use the SUM formula, enter the
values you want to add together in the following format: =SUM(value 1, value 2,…..).
Example: In the below example to calculate the sum of price of all the fruits, in B9 cell type
=SUM(B3:B8). this will calculate the sum of B3, B4, B5, B6, B7, B8 Press “Enter,” and the cell will
produce the sum: 430.

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2. SUBTRACTION:
To use the subtraction formula in Excel, enter the cells you want to subtract in the format =SUM (A1, -
B1). This will subtract a cell from the SUM formula by appending a negative sign before the cell being
subtracted.
For example, if A3 was 300 and B3 was 225, =SUM(A1, -B1) would perform 300 + -225, returning a
value of 75 in D3 cell.

3. MULTIPLICATION:
In Excel, enter the cells to be multiplied in the format =A3*B3 to perform the multiplication formula. An
asterisk is used in this formula to multiply cell A3 by cell B3.

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For example, if A3 was 300 and B3 was 225, =A1*B1 would return a value of 67500.

Highlight an empty cell in an Excel spreadsheet to multiply two or more values. Then, in the format
=A1*B1…, enter the values or cells you want to multiply together. The asterisk effectively multiplies
each value in the formula.
To return your desired product, press Enter. Take a look at the screenshot above to see how this looks.
4. DIVISION:
To use the division formula in Excel, enter the dividing cells in the format =A3/B3. This formula divides
cell A3 by cell B3 with a forward slash, “/.”
For example, if A3 was 300 and B3 was 225, =A3/B3 would return a decimal value of 1.333333333.

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Division in Excel is one of the most basic functions available. To do so, highlight an empty cell, enter an
equals sign, “=,” and then the two (or more) values you want to divide, separated by a forward slash,
“/.” The output should look like this: =A3/B3, as shown in the screenshot above.
5. AVERAGE:
The AVERAGE function finds an average or arithmetic mean of numbers. to find the average of the
numbers type = AVERAGE(A3.B3,C3….) and press ‘Enter’ it will produce average of the numbers in
the cell.
For example, if A3 was 300, B3 was 225, C3 was 180, D3 was 350, E3 is 400 then
=AVERAGE(A3,B3,C3,D3,E3) will produce 291.

6. IF formula:
In Excel, the IF formula is denoted as =IF(logical test, value if true, value if false). This lets you enter a
text value into a cell “if” something else in your spreadsheet is true or false.

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For example, You may need to know which values in column A are greater than three. Using the =IF
formula, you can quickly have Excel auto-populate a “yes” for each cell with a value greater than 3 and
a “no” for each cell with a value less than 3.

7. PERCENTAGE:
To use the percentage formula in Excel, enter the cells you want to calculate the percentage for in the
format =A1/B1. To convert the decimal value to a percentage, select the cell, click the Home tab, and
then select “Percentage” from the numbers dropdown.
There isn’t a specific Excel “formula” for percentages, but Excel makes it simple to convert the value of
any cell into a percentage so you don’t have to calculate and reenter the numbers yourself.
The basic setting for converting a cell’s value to a percentage is found on the Home tab of Excel. Select
this tab, highlight the cell(s) you want to convert to a percentage, and then select Conditional
Formatting from the dropdown menu (this menu button might say “General” at first). Then, from the list
of options that appears, choose “Percentage.” This will convert the value of each highlighted cell into a
percentage. This feature can be found further down.

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8. CONCATENATE:
CONCATENATE is a useful formula that combines values from multiple cells into the same cell.
For example , =CONCATENATE(A3,B3) will combine Red and Apple to produce RedApple.

9. DATE:
DATE is the Excel DATE formula =DATE(year, month, day). This formula will return a date
corresponding to the values entered in the parentheses, including values referred to from other cells..
For example, if A2 was 2019, B2 was 8, and C1 was 15, =DATE(A1,B1,C1) would return 15-08-2019.

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10. TRIM:
The TRIM formula in Excel is denoted =TRIM(text). This formula will remove any spaces that have
been entered before and after the text in the cell. For example, if A2 includes the name ” Virat Kohli”
with unwanted spaces before the first name, =TRIM(A2) would return “Virat Kohli” with no spaces in a
new cell.

11. LEN:
LEN is the function to count the number of characters in a specific cell when you want to know the
number of characters in that cell. =LEN(text) is the formula for this. Please keep in mind that the LEN
function in Excel counts all characters, including spaces:
For example,=LEN(A2), returns the total length of the character in cell A2 including spaces.

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 INSERT A CHART IN MICROSOFT EXCEL

You can insert a chart into an Excel workbook in just a few simple steps.
This feature works the same in all modern versions of Microsoft Excel: 2010, 2013, and 2016.
1. Select the data you wish to display. If Excel recognizes your data as being a list, you can select
any cell within the list.
2. On the Insert tab, in the Charts group, select the type of chart you wish to insert by clicking on
it.

3. Select a specific chart. The following image shows the charts available if you click the Insert
4.

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 5. Column or Bar Chart command.

You can easily resize charts, as well as graphs, by clicking and dragging one of the resize
handles at the edges of the chart or graph. Hover the cursor over the handle until it turns into a

two-sided arrow.

WHAT IS SORTING?

A Sorting Algorithm is used to rearrange a given array or list of elements according to a comparison operator on the elements. The
comparison operator is used to decide the new order of elements in the respective data structure.

What Is a Filter?
A filter is a circuit capable of passing (or amplifying) certain frequencies while attenuating other
frequencies. Thus, a filter can extract important frequencies from signals that also contain undesirable or
irrelevant frequencies.
In the field of electronics, there are many practical applications for filters. Examples include:

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 Radio communications: Filters enable radio receivers to only "see" the desired signal while rejecting
all other signals (assuming that the other signals have different frequency content).
 DC power supplies: Filters are used to eliminate undesired high frequencies (i.e., noise) that are
present on AC input lines. Additionally, filters are used on a power supply's output to reduce ripple.
 Audio electronics: A crossover network is a network of filters used to channel low-frequency audio to
woofers, mid-range frequencies to midrange speakers, and high-frequency sounds to tweeters.
 Analog-to-digital conversion: Filters are placed in front of an ADC input to minimize aliasing.

Four Major Types of Filters

The four primary types of filters include the low-pass filter, the high-pass filter, the band-pass filter, and
the notch filter (or the band-reject or band-stop filter). Take note, however, that the terms "low" and
"high" do not refer to any absolute values of frequency, but rather they are relative values with respect to
the cutoff frequency.
Figure 1 below gives a general idea of how each of these four filters works:

Figure 1. A basic depiction of the four major filter types.

There is also such a thing as an all-pass filter but I'm not considering it to be one of the four basic filter
types for the purposes of this article.

Passive and Active Filters

Filters can be placed in one of two categories: passive or active.
Passive filters include only passive components—resistors, capacitors, and inductors. In contrast, active
filters use active components, such as op-amps, in addition to resistors and capacitors, but not inductors.
Passive filters are most responsive to a frequency range from roughly 100 Hz to 300 MHz. The limitation
on the lower end is a result of the fact that at low frequencies the inductance or capacitance would have to
be quite large. The upper-frequency limit is due to the effect of parasitic capacitances and inductances.
Careful design practices can extend the use of passive circuits well into the gigahertz range.

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Active filters are capable of dealing with very low frequencies (approaching 0 Hz), and they can provide
voltage gain (passive filters cannot). Active filters can be used to design high-order filters without the use
of inductors; this is important because inductors are problematic in the context of integrated-circuit
manufacturing techniques. However, active filters are less suitable for very-high-frequency applications
because of amplifier bandwidth limitations. Radio-frequency circuits must often utilize passive filters.

Some Key Points and Terms

Response curves are used to describe how a filter behaves. A response curve is simply a graph showing
an attenuation ratio (V OUT / VIN) versus frequency (see Figure 2 below). Attenuation is commonly
expressed in units of decibels (dB). Frequency can be expressed in two forms: either the angular form ω
(units are rad/s) or the more common form of f (units of Hz, i.e., cycles per second). These two forms are
related by ω = 2πf. Finally, filter response curves may be plotted in linear-linear, log-linear, or log-log
form. The most common approach is to have decibels on the y-axis and logarithmic frequency on the x-
axis.

Figure 2. Response curves for the four major filter types.

Note: A notch filter is a bandstop filter with a narrow bandstop bandwidth. Notch filters are used to
attenuate a narrow range of frequencies.
Below are some technical terms that are commonly used when describing filter response curves:
 -3dB Frequency (f3dB). This term, pronounced "minus 3dB frequency", corresponds to the input
frequency that causes the output signal to drop by -3dB relative to the input signal. The -3dB
frequency is also referred to as the cutoff frequency, and it is the frequency at which the output power
is reduced by one-half (which is why this frequency is also called the "half-power frequency"), or at
which the output voltage is the input voltage multiplied by 1/√2 . For low-pass and high-pass filters
there is only one -3dB frequency. However, there are two -3dB frequencies for band-pass and notch
filters—these are normally referred to as f1 and f2.
 Center frequency (f0). The center frequency, a term used for band-pass and notch filters, is a central
frequency that lies between the upper and lower cutoff frequencies. The center frequency is
commonly defined as either the arithmetic mean (see equation below) or the geometric mean of the
lower cutoff frequency and the upper cutoff frequency.

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 Bandwidth (β or B.W.). The bandwidth is the width of the passband, and the passband is the band of
frequencies that do not experience significant attenuation when moving from the input of the filter to
the output of the filter.
 Stopband frequency (fs). This is a particular frequency at which the attenuation reaches a specified
value.
 For low-pass and high-pass filters, frequencies beyond the stopband frequency are referred to as
the stopband.
 For band-pass and notch filters, two stopband frequencies exist. The frequencies between these
two stopband frequencies are referred to as the stopband.
 Quality factor (Q): The quality factor of a filter conveys its damping characteristics. In the time
domain, damping corresponds to the amount of oscillation in the system’s step response. In the
frequency domain, higher Q corresponds to more (positive or negative) peaking in the system’s
magnitude response. For a bandpass or notch filter, Q represents the ratio between the center
frequency and the -3dB bandwidth (i.e., the distance between f 1 and f2).
 For both band-pass and notch filters:

Q = f 0 f 2 − f 1 �=�0�2−�1

Conclusion
Filters serve a critical role in many common applications. Such applications include power supplies,
audio electronics, and radio communications. Filters can be active or passive, and the four main types of
filters are low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and notch/band-reject (though there are also all-pass filters).
I hope you've learned a bit about how to describe filters and what they can accomplish. You can read
more in these textbook resources below!

Print a Worksheet
To print a worksheet in Excel, execute the following steps.
1. On the File tab, click Print.
2. To preview the other pages that will be printed, click 'Next Page' or 'Previous Page' at the bottom of the
window.

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3. To print the worksheet, click the big Print button.

What to Print
Instead of printing the entire worksheet, you can also print the current selection.
1. First, select the range of cells you want to print.

2. Next, under Settings, select Print Selection.

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3. To print the selection, click the big Print button.

Note: you can also print the active sheets (first select the sheets by holding down CTRL and clicking the sheet tabs) or print the
entire workbook. Use the boxes next to Pages (see first screenshot) to only print a few pages of your document. For example, 2 to 2
only prints the second page.

Multiple Copies
To print multiple copies, execute the following steps.

1. Use the arrows next to the Copies box.

2. If one copy contains multiple pages, you can switch between Collated and Uncollated. For example, if you print 6 copies, Collated
prints the entire first copy, then the entire second copy, etc. Uncollated prints 6 copies of page 1, 6 copies of page 2, etc.

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Orientation
You can switch between Portrait Orientation (more rows but fewer columns) and Landscape Orientation (more columns but fewer
rows).

Page Margins
To adjust the page margins, execute the following steps.

1. Select one of the predefined margins (Normal, Wide or Narrow) from the Margins drop-down list.

2. Or click the 'Show Margins' icon at the bottom right of the window. Now you can drag the lines to manually change the page
margins.

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Scaling
If you want to fit more data on one page, you can fit the sheet on one page. To achieve this, execute the following steps.

1. Select 'Fit Sheet on One Page' from the Scaling drop-down list.

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Note: you can also shrink the printout to one page wide or one page high. Click Custom Scaling Options to manually enter a scaling
percentage or to fit the printout to a specific number of pages wide and tall. Be careful, Excel doesn't warn you when your printout
becomes unreadable.

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