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Business Calculus with Excel

Section A.5 Google Sheets Notes for Chapter 1 skills

This text was written with the assumption it would use Excel as the spreadsheet tool. Other institutions may decide they want to do the same approach, but using Google sheets. This section addresses the places where the spreadsheet instructions differ.
Skills that work the same in Excel and Sheets
  • Basic Arithmetic in a cell
  • Arithmetic with commands
  • Quick Fill
  • Relative and absolute references
  • Naming a Cell
  • Graph multiple functions (Given the differences for graphing a single function.)
  • Graph functions with parameters in the definition.
  • Add the predicted function back to the chart
  • Using Goal Seek.
  • Avoiding traps with Goal Seek.
  • Finding the intersection of two curves with Goal Seek.
Skills that work differently in Excel and Sheets:
  • Showing all the formulas on a page is found by selecting the "view" tab, then the "Show" menu, and the "formulas" item.
  • Graph a function is found by selecting the "chart" item from the insert tab. Sheets defaults to a line graph. It brings up a chart editor. Scatterplot is a chart type.
  • Use a secondary axis. Double click on the graph to bring up the "Chart Editor". Use the "Series" menu to selct the function that wiill use the left axis for scale. Scroll down to find the "Axis" menu. Choose "Right Axis".
  • Formatting a chart. In Sheets, double click on a chart to bring up a Chart editor. THere are a variety on menus. You need to scroll down to see them all.
  • Showing all the formulas on a page is found by selecting the "view" tab, then the "Show" menu, and the "formulas" item.
  • Add a trendline to a chart In the "Chart editor", scroll down and select the "Trendline" option.
  • Find a best fit curve for some non-linear models In the "Chart editor", scroll down and make a selection from the "Type" menu.
  • Change the precision of the coefficients in the trendline, Google Sheets does not seem to have a reasonable way to do this.
  • Finding Goal Seek Goal Seek is an Extension. From the "Extensions" menu, select "Add-ons", then "Get Add-ons". Serch for and select "Goal Seek".
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