Spreadsheet

A Spreadsheet is a computer program that imitates a paper worksheet.^[1][2][3] It shows a large sheet (like a sheet of paper) that has many cells in a grid of rows and columns.^[4] Users can put words or numbers into the cells, to make headings and store information (usually numbers). You can also move the grid lines around so that some cells are bigger than others, and change the color or size of text/font, the same way font/text is changed in a word processor. You can even put pictures in the worksheets, make multiple pages, and print out their results on real paper.^[5][6][7]

The primary reason most people use spreadsheets is for automatic calculations. Spreadsheets can be designed to add up the items/amounts on a bill, calculate sales tax, and even calculate income tax. A user can add and subtract the numbers here, even if the numbers are not next to each other. This means the computer does all the math, and people only need to give the correct information.

Another strength of spreadsheets, is that they can produce diagrams, like graphs and pie-charts, based on the data the user enters. Sometimes the numbers make more sense when the computer turns them into a picture.

1. ↑ "spreadsheet". Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
2. ↑ American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. 2011. A software interface consisting of an interactive grid made up of cells in which data or formulas are entered for analysis or presentation.
3. ↑ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged (12th ed.). HarperCollins Publishers. 2014. (Computer Science) a computer program that allows easy entry and manipulation of figures, equations, and text, used esp for financial planning and budgeting
4. ↑ "spreadsheet". WhatIs.com. TechTarget. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
5. ↑ "spreadsheet". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
6. ↑ Beal, Vangie (September 1996). "spreadsheet". webopedia. QuinStreet. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
7. ↑ "Spreadsheet". Computer Hope. Archived from the original on 21 June 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2016.