Spreadsheet and Presentation Software
Spreadsheet and Presentation Software
This domain covers spreadsheet calculations and presentation design. Expect cell references, formulas/functions, charts, sorting/filtering, and slide elements such as layouts, transitions and animations.
Core rules
- A formula begins with
=; without it, the entry is text. Functions such asSUM,AVERAGE,MAX,MIN,COUNTandIFoperate on ranges. - Relative references adjust when copied; absolute references use
$to lock column and/or row. - Charts visualize data; choose pie for parts of a whole, column/bar for comparison, line for trends.
- Sorting reorders rows; filtering hides rows that do not match without deleting them.
- In presentations, slide master controls consistent layout; transitions apply between slides; animations apply to objects on a slide.
Worked example
With A1=10, A2=20, A3=30, =SUM(A1:A3) returns 60. If =A1*$B$1 is copied from row 1 to row 2, A1 becomes A2 but $B$1 stays fixed. The reasoning is reference behaviour: relative parts shift with the destination, absolute parts do not. This is why tax rates or constants are locked.
Traps
Text that looks numeric may be left-aligned and ignored by SUM. COUNT counts numbers, while COUNTA counts non-empty entries. A chart is not a formula. A transition is not an object animation. Deleting a row is not the same as clearing its contents. Check whether a function range includes headers.