Sample Problem: You suspect you are not getting paid for all the time you have worked at your job during your last pay period. You could use a pencil and paper or your calculator to see if you are right. Another way is to set up a spreadsheet to keep track of your hours and pay. A spreadsheet will let you enter raw numbers (data) onto a grid and will do the calculations for you.

1. Using the mouse, click on the Start icon at the bottom left corner of the computer screen.
2. A list of choices will appear: click on Programs.
3. Choose Office 97 (or Office 2000 on some computers).
4. In the list of programs, choose Microsoft Excel.

Here is some vocabulary you will need to know:

• Columns are vertical (top to bottom)
• Rows are horizontal (left to right)
• Cells are individual "boxes" on the spreadsheet

1. Using the mouse, click in cell A1, the first cell on the upper left corner of the spreadsheet. Type the word Date in the box and then use the mouse and tab to cell B1.
2. At cell B1 type the label Starting time and tab to cell C1.
3. At cell C1 type the label Ending time and tab to cell D1.
4. At cell D1 type the label Daily hours and tab to cell E1.
5. At cell E1 type the label Hourly pay and tab to cell F1.
6. At cell F1 type the label Daily pay and tab to cell A1 .

You can see that the labels don’t fit in the boxes, so you can expand all of the boxes at once by highlighting (click and drag the mouse over the space) cells A1 to F1. Now click on the drop down box on the Toolbar (top of screen) labeled Format. Go to Column, choose Width and change the number to 15. Click on the OK box and you will see that all the boxes are now wider.

While the top row of cells is still highlighted (or highlight now), you are going to change the look of the labels. Go to the Toolbar and click on the B button for Bold. While still highlighted, go to the Toolbar and click on Format, choose Cells, then Alignment. Under the word Horizontal, click on the down arrow (right end of long box) and choose Right. Click on the OK button. Now your labels will line up with the numbers in the columns.

1. Go to cell A2 and type in the first date of the pay period, written as MM/DD/YY. Hit the Enter key.
2. Position the mouse on the bottom right corner of the cell A2. When the corner turns into a + (plus) sign, click on the mouse and drag it down the column to cover as many days as you will need for the pay period (possibly 2 weeks, or down to A15).

1. Type in the time you started work on the first date (cell B2) using the format of 00:00 AM (or PM). Be sure to leave a space between the last number and the AM or PM. Hit the Enter key.
2. Change the column format to accept time by clicking on the column B and C. The entire column will be highlighted. Once highlighted, go to Format on the toolbar, choose Cells, Number, and under Category choose Time. On the right side of the box there are various choices of how to write the time and you should choose 1:30 PM. Click on the OK box.

1. To change the column format to accept time, select column D by clicking on the D. Go to Format on the Toolbar, choose Cells, choose the tab labeled Number, and under Category choose Time. On the right side of the box there are various choices of how to write the time and you should choose 13:30. Click on the OK box.
2. To make the spreadsheet do the actual calculations for you, you will have to enter a formula. To do that, click in the cell D2 and write the following formula:

• Type in the equal sign (=) and it will appear in a formula bar under the last toolbar.
• Click on the cell C2. It also appears in the formula bar.
• Type in the minus sign (-), then click on cell B2.

1. To get the entire column to perform the calculations, do the following:

• Position the mouse on the bottom right corner of the cell D2.
• When the corner turns into a + (plus) sign, click on the mouse and drag it down the column to cover as many days as you will need for the pay period. Now you have copied the formula to all of the cells.

1. To change the column to currency, highlight column E and F by clicking on the E with the mouse and holding down dragging it over to the F.
2. On the Toolbar, choose Format, Cells, then the Number tab.
3. Under Category, choose Currency. Make sure it has 2 decimal places chosen, uses the $ sign, and click on the OK button.
4. Type in your hourly pay, written as $5.35.

1. To make the spreadsheet do the actual calculations for you, you will have to enter a formula. To do that, click in the cell F2 and write the following formula:

• Type in the equal sign (=) and it will appear in a formula box under the last toolbar.
• Click on the cell D2. It will appear in the formula box.
• Type in the * sign to multiply.
• Click in cell E2.
• Type in the * sign to multiply.
• Type in the number 24 (for 24 hours in a day).

1. To get the entire column to perform the calculations, do the following:

• Position the mouse on the bottom right corner of the cell F2.
• When the corner turns into a + (plus) sign, click on the mouse and drag it down the column to cover as many days as you will need for the pay period. Now you have copied the formula to all of these cells.

1. To calculate the total hours you have worked during this pay period, you will need to find the sum or total of column D. Click on cell D2.
2. Drag the mouse down over the whole column to highlight (blacken) and click on the key å (AutoSum) on the Toolbar. The sum will appear at the bottom of the column.
3. You can label this cell as in the sample.

1. To calculate the total pay you should received during this pay period, you will need to find the sum or total of column F. Click on cell F2.
2. Drag the mouse down over the whole column to highlight (blacken) and click on the key å (AutoSum) on the Toolbar. The sum will appear at the bottom of the column.
3. You can label this cell as in the sample.

Saving and Printing Your Document:

You need to save your document on your portion of the network. This should be done at the start of the lesson and periodically while working on it as well as any time you close the document. Print your spreadsheet when completed in landscape format (located under page setup). You will need to check the print set up to make sure you will be printing to the correct printer. Ask your instructor for assistance BEFORE printing.