CONDENSED and Revised Basic Computer Skills for Senior Citizens 04-06-2014 - Final

8/15/2019 CONDENSED and Revised Basic Computer Skills for Senior Citizens 04-06-2014 - Final

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Basic Computer Skills for Senior Citizens

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Chapter 1 About a Computer

A computer is a machine. We all know that it is a very special machine as it can perform several

different functions. You can decide what the computer should do for you-that is you can program

your computer to do your job, the way you want it done. That’s great.

Computers are getting more and more advanced every day. They are becoming more powerful,faster and easier to work with. Computer programs are getting more complex and sophisticated.

Humans, the masterminds behind computer programs are able to get more out of the machine.

Today computers can do what we could never have imagined a few years ago.

1.1 Parts of Computer

A computer is an electronic device with many attachments. These attachments are either

necessary or enhance a computer's performance. These are mainly external components of

computers. These parts you can see and touch while sitting at a personal computer. They fallunder the category called Hardware. In order to start learning about how to use computers, you

will need to be able to identify the main parts that make up a computer. In this lesson, we’ll cover the basics of computer hardware.

MONITOR

SPEAKERS CPU CABINET

KEYBOARD

MOUSE

Mouse - Used for making selections. There are two buttons on a mouse. Most actions are

performed using the left mouse button. Some mice have cords and some do not.


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Keyboard

Used for entering data, generating commands. The keyboard layout is similar to a typewriterwith additional keys for other functions. There is a number keypad to the right of the main

alphabetical keypad.

Monitor

The monitor is the visual component of the computer. It displays information to the user. This is

a required part of the computer. This part requires electricity so it will have its own power cordto plug into an outlet.


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SpeakersThe speakers are the audio component of the computer. Through these speakers, we can hear the

sound from the computer system.

Computer System UnitThis is where everything comes together to work. The system box holds the central processing

unit to act as the brains of the computer. The unit contains the motherboard which is the maincircuitry for the system. The power supply for the main computer is located in the unit. All the

other parts including the monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, and others join at the unit to become a functional system.

PrinterThe printer is used to develop a hard copy or paper copy of a document or picture. The printer

connects to the computer and requires the use of its own power cord.


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1.2 Computer Characteristics

Let us now move a step further and take a close look at the characteristics of a computer system.

Speed

The speed at which you work is measured in hours, minutes or seconds. You already know that acomputer works one step at a time. The speed of a computer is measured by the number of

instructions the microprocessor can carry out every second. This is measured in millionsinstructions per second (MIPS). No wonder it is so fast. In fact, the supercomputers of today

can carry out billions of instructions per second. PARAM 10000, the supercomputer built byIndian scientists at the Centre of Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), Pune can carry

out 100 billion instructions per second. The center of all these processing activities is the centralprocessing unit (CPU) of the computer.

Precision

All computer systems, besides having amazing speeds, have almost 100% accuracy. Computersdo not give faulty outputs. However, they are sometimes accused of making mistakes.

Investigation reveals that these errors are actually human errors. If the input data and the

instructions given to the computer are correct, then the output produced will also be correct.

Reliability

Computer performs millions of calculations at a great speed without making mistakes. Thismakes computer a highly reliable device for repeated work. Programmed robots are replacing

human workers. Continuous and consistent performance of machines is a big advantage for theindustries.

Memory

Memory is the internal storing place for both data and instructions, as it is located inside the

computer. Memory is further classified into primary and secondary memory.

• Primary Memory

The term primary memory refers to the main memory of a computer system where data andinstructions are temporarily held for immediate processing.

Computers have two types of memories-Read Only Memory (ROM) and Random AccessMemory (RAM). RAM and ROM make up the primary memory of the computer.

RAM is the temporary storage memory, which is non-permanent. The principal function of RAM

is to temporarily hold data and instructions required for immediate processing. RAM is volatilein nature, i.e. when the computer is switched off, both data and instructions get lost from RAM.

The users or programmer’s instructions and programs are stored in RAM. Besides the speed of


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the microprocessor, the amount of RAM in your computer determines which program you canefficiently run on it. As programs get bigger and more complicated, they require greater memory.

ROM is permanent in nature and is non-volatile. The computer can only read the data and

instructions from it, but cannot make any changes on it. These instructions remain permanentlyin the computer, even when the computer is switched off. ROM stores a program that instructs

the computer how to control its various parts and how to process data.

Secondary MemoryThe term secondary memory refers to storage devices that store data and instructions

permanently. Secondary memory is non-volatile in nature. This simply means that the data and

instructions in this memory are not lost when the computer is switched off. Since this memoryrefers to storage devices, it is also known as secondary storage medium. The input

(unprocessed or raw data) and the output (processed data) can be stored for later use in such

devices. Magnetic storage mediums such as hard disk and flash drive, and optical disks such as

CD_ROM and DVD are secondary storage mediums. The following are some storage devices

1. HDD – HARD DISK DRIVEThe hard disc drive is device that has the memory stored permanent. It is

magnetic in nature and is a mechanical device. These consist of read and write

head to record the data or retrieve the data. This HDD is not in direct contact with

the processor. The memory size is usually from 300 GB-1terra byte

2. CD – COMPACT DISC

Used to store data, it is optical in nature requires a player or a writer where thedata is read by a laser. Capacity 700mb

Types –

a. CD-R-CD read can be written only once needs a writer ( can also play) b. CD – RW- CD read write, can be recorded many times and needs a writer.

3. DVD – DIGITAL VERSATILE DISC

Used to store data, it is optical in nature requires a player or a writer where thedata is read by a laser. Capacity – 4.7 GB

a.

DVD R – read, can be written only once needs a writer ( can also play) b. DVD RW - read write, can be recorded many times and needs a writer

4. PENDRIVE

Also flash drive/USB (universal serial bus) drive memory size - up to 16 GB


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5. MINI SD CARDSD stands for standard digital, used in cameras (digital) has memory capacity up

to 8 GB

6. MICRO SD CARD

SD stands for standard digital as above, used in mobile phones has memorycapacity up to 8 GB

1.3 Computer Classification

Computers can be classified into different categories depending upon their physical size,

processing speed, storage capacity, cost and ability to get connected to other computers and input

or output devices.

Smart Phones – A smartphone (or smart phone) is a mobile phone with more advanced

computing capability and connectivity than basic feature phones. Early smartphones typically

combined the features of a mobile phone with those of another popular consumer device, such as

a personal digital assistant (PDA), a media player, a digital camera, or a GPS navigation unit.

Modern smartphones include all of those features plus the features of a touchscreen computer,

including web browsing, Wi-Fi, and 3rd-partyapps.

Currently, about 90% of handset sales worldwide are for devices driven

by Google's Android and Apple's iOS mobile operating systems.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feature_phonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_digital_assistanthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_media_playerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_camerahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS_Phonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchscreenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_browserhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_apphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Googlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_operating_systemshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_operating_systemshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Googlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_apphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_browserhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchscreenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS_Phonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_camerahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_media_playerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_digital_assistanthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feature_phonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone


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Tablet- A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a mobile computer with display, circuitry and

battery in a single unit. Tablets are equipped with sensors, including cameras,

microphone, accelerometer and touchscreen, with finger or stylus gestures replacing

computer and keyboard. Tablets may include physical buttons, e.g., to control basic features suchas speaker volume and power and ports for network communications and to charge the battery.

An on-screen, pop-up virtual keyboard is usually used for typing. Tablets are typically larger

than smart phones or personal digital assistants at 7 inches (18 cm) or larger, measured

diagonally.

Laptop and palmtop computers are portable computers that work on rechargeable batteries.

Personal Computers (PCs) are the small computers you can see in schools, homes and in most

offices.

Microcomputers are used for industrial applications.

Laptop ipad2 Desktop

Mainframe computers are even more powerful computers that have high-storage capacities.They are used in large commercial and government organizations.

Supercomputers are the fastest of all computers. They are used for large applications that

require complex scientific calculations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_computerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_visual_displayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuitryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerometerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchscreenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_(computing)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_keyboardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_phonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_digital_assistanthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_digital_assistanthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_phonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_keyboardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_(computing)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchscreenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerometerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuitryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_visual_displayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_computer


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1.4 Digital Computers

Another method to classify computers is based on the way data is processed by a computer

system. There are two basic types of computers-analog computers and digital computers.

Digital computers are what most people are familiar with. The personal computers that you seein your school and at home are digital computers. The commonly used calculators are also digital

devices.

The Binary Code

Computer memory has become more important over the years. The higher the RAM size, themore efficiently large programs run on the computer. Computer scientists are building larger and

larger memory with every new generation of computers. This means computers can efficiently

run larger programs with sound, graphics and animation.

Secondary storage devices today come with large storage capacity. Most PCs today have harddisks with storage capacities up to 40 GB. 1,024 Gigabytes is called Terabyte (TB). High

capacity hard disks have this kind of capacity.

1 Byte B 8 bits

1 Kilobyte KB 1024 bytes

1 Megabyte MG 1024 Kilobytes

1 Gigabyte GB 1024 Megabytes

1 Terabyte TB 1024 Gigabytes

1.5 Recent Applications of Computers

Given in the following paragraphs are just a few of the more recent applications of computers,where they perform varied tasks by manipulating and processing data. The possibilities are

endless. Limits are imposed by the speed of the microprocessor used in the computer, and the

size of its memory. As the speed of microprocessors and the size of the memory in computersincrease, these will be used for more and more complex applications.

1. INTER NET - there are many uses of internet including

a. Communication where in two people can communicate through email or chat orSkype within an instant through not so cumbersome means but through simple

methods. One can actually communicate with somebody long distance using theinternet.

b. Internet for business is commonly known where web sites like flipkart.com etc.

Allow for online shopping etc.

2. SOFT WARE PROGRAMMING - Application software is all the computer

software that causes a computer to perform useful tasks beyond the running of the

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_softwarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_softwarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_softwarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_software


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computer itself. A specific instance of such software is called a software

application, application program, application or app.

Examples include accounting software, enterprise software, graphics software, media

players, and office suites. Many application programs deal principally with documents.

3. MEDICINE - The Use of Computers in Medicine.The use of computer technology has greatly enhanced the medical field. This is

particularly so in hospital environments where reliability and quality are critical factors.

Many computer applications, such as patient information systems, monitoring and control

systems and diagnostic systems, have been used to enhance healthcare.

4. ENGINEERING - Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computer systems to

assist in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design

5. Voice Recognition SystemsTo be able to talk to a computer by speaking out the commands has been a dream for

many years. It is possible to dictate a letter to a computer today. Computers now havevoice recognition capability.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accounting_softwarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_softwarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics_softwarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_player_(application_software)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_player_(application_software)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_suitehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Document_file_formathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Designhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Designhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Document_file_formathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_suitehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_player_(application_software)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_player_(application_software)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics_softwarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_softwarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accounting_software


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Chapter 2 Operating a Computer

As you go through this chapter and simultaneously work on your machine, you will discover new

ways of operating your computer. Familiarity with basic computer operations is necessary in

order to do more in computer.

2.1 Switching On and Switching Off

One thing a computer definitely needs to work is electricity! A desktop computer must always be

connected to a power outlet, while a laptop may operate on its own internal battery for a few

hours.

A desktop computer has a power button on the front. By pushing in on the button and then

releasing it,

you turn the computer on. You should hear a noise like a fan or a vacuum cleaner, and some

lights willappear on the front of the computer.

You may also need to switch on the monitor in order to see what the computer is displaying. A

similar power button will usually be found in the lower right hand corner of the monitor screen.

Switch Off

Use the mouse to click on the Start Button at the lower left hand side of the desktop. When the

menu appears, click on Turn off Computer. Finally, click on Turn off . This is the sequence for

a computer with the Windows XP operating system. It may be slightly different if you have a

different version of Windows, but the idea is the same.

There are occasions when a computer is not able to turn off. If it gets stuck and will not finish

turning off, you may need to use the power button. To do this, hold the power button in until youhear the computer stop and see the screen go blank. Doing this may result in an error message

then you turn the computer back on, but will usually not harm the computer.


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Remember!You should rarely use the power button to turn a desktop or laptop computer OFF. There are a

few housekeeping chores a computer needs to do before it turns off, and by using the power

button you prevent the computer from turning off in a controlled manner. Instead, use the

following method:

2.2 Start your computer

Desktop

After turning on a personal computer the picture or image you see is referred to as a Desktop.The Desktop allows for accessing programs and consists of Program Icons, a Taskbar, a Start

Button, and a Mouse Pointer. Just as you may have a desk you use at home with assorted papers,

pencils, stapler, or tape dispenser on it, so is the concept behind the Desktop of a computer. It

can vary from person to person as each person can change it to reflect his or her working habits

and styles. Below is an example of a Desktop.

Mouse Pointer

The Mouse Pointer typically looks like an arrow but can also looks like an I beam or other

object. It enables you to see where the mouse is located on the screen. As you move your mousethe Mouse Pointer moves. You can change the image of the Mouse Pointer but we will not cover

that is this lesson.

Do it yourself!

On the computer, move the mouse and watch the Mouse Pointer move on the Desktop.


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Icons

On the image of the Desktop previously displayed, we saw little pictures that were labeled My

Computer, My Network Places, My Documents, and Recycle Bin . These pictures are called

Icons. Icons are pictures that when selected (or clicked on) will do something. This “do something” is called executing. Selecting an Icon by clicking on it tells the computer you want to

use that program. My Computer, My Network Places, My Documents, and Recycle Bin arestandard Icons commonly seen on a computer.

Do it yourself!Can you identify the Icons on the computer you are using?

Shortcut Icons

If we look closely at the previously displayed Desktop, there is one picture that has a little black

arrow in it. The little black arrow informs you that it is a Shortcut Icon. A Shortcut Icon willopen a program that someone has added to the Desktop. The Shortcut Icon on our exampleDesktop will open the program called Microsoft Office Word, a program for word processing

(typing a letter for example).

Start Button

Located on the Desktop in the lower left corner is a Start button. If you click on the Start

button, a window will appear allowing you to select one of the options listed or access one of thePrograms on your computer. You can turn off the computer from the Start button as well. A

window similar to the one below will appear.


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Do it yourself!

• Click on the Start Button on the PC you are using. Does it look similar to this one?• Press the Escape key (Esc located on the keyboard) to close the Start Menu.

• Click on the Start button, select Turn off Computer. Click on the Cancel button to

stop the request to Turn off the Computer.

Important!It is possible to suppress the displaying of the commonly used Icons but it is recommended you

don’t delete any Icon that does not have the little black arrow in it. It is equally important that you do not change a computer without the permission of the person who owns the computer.

2.3 Computer Mouse in Detail

The computer mouse is considered an input device. With a click of a button, the mouse sends

information to the computer. The computer mouse is an interesting device that offers an

alternative way to interact with the computer beside a keyboard.

A typical mouse has two buttons. At the top of the device you will find a left and right buttonwhich allows for “clicks”. There is a scrolling wheel between the two buttons.

How to Hold a Mouse

The mouse fits in the palm of your hand. Generally all mice are set up for right-hand dominantuse but can be customized and adjusted for left-hand use.

Your index finger will rest over the left mouse button while the rest of your hand will lightly grip

the mouse.


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You may use your middle and/or your ring finger to use the wheel and/or the right mouse button.

Your hand will cup the mouse and your fingers should be relaxed while holding the mouse.

Your arm may rest on the table. You hand should not hold, squeeze, or clench the mouse butrather guide the mouse around.

Your shoulder and elbow rather than your wrist should be moving the mouse around the mouse

pad or table. A mouse pad may be provided as a clean smooth surface to guide your mouse on

top.

You should have plenty of room for full movement of the mouse. You may pick up your mouse

and place it back down in the middle of your mouse pad at any time to readjust your mouse

position. Remember-do not tense your hands or arms. The muscles of your hands, fingers, and

arms should be relaxed.

Types of Mice

There are many types of mice. Earlier we had a computer mouse that is connected to ourcomputer by a cable with a ball at the bottom of the mouse device. The IntelliMouse has a wheel

between the left and right mouse buttons. Nowadays we have mouse with light at the bottom.

This is the most popular style of mouse device. There are cordless mice, mice with a trackball ontop instead of the bottom, touchpads, and mice operated by use of a foot. Whatever mouse you

decide to use become comfortable using it. There is a style of mouse device for everyone.

Tips!There are different types of clicking. Single-click, double-click, and right-click. The computer, if

using Microsoft Windows, uses double-click.

The double-click action generally executes a command or opens a window or application. Asingle-click selects an option then with the combination of pressing a button on the keyboard will

execute an action or command. You may customize your computer to select commands based on

what works for you. If you find double-clicking difficult you may go into the Computer’s Control Panel and adjust the settings to single-click.


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Remember!While you are moving your mouse around be careful not to click while moving. To ensure

precise point and click commands, guide your mouse into position then stop to click.

2.4 Computer Keyboard in Detail

Keyboarding is the new typing. No longer do your fingers need to punch a key with the sleeknew keyboards of today. Lighter taps on the keys are what are required to become an efficient

keyboardist. In contrast to the typewriters of yesteryear, there are more keys filling up the board.

Becoming familiar with the keys will guarantee less frustration and better overall computing

experiences.

Standard Alphabetical and Numerical Keyboard:

You still have the traditional layout as the typewriter:

Your home row is A S D F and J K L; your left hand pinky will be placed on the A, ring finger

on S, Middle on D, and index finger on the F and your thumb on the space bar. Your right left

hand pinky will be placed on the ;, ring finger on L, Middle on K , index finger on the J and your

thumb on the space bar. The F and J have ridges on them so you may find your correct position by touch.

On this board you will see an Enter button used for hard returns. No longer do you need to press

this button after every line. In fact, you would only use it to enact commands or to start a new

paragraph.

Above the previous keyboard, you will see a set of function keys. They appear like this:


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Function keys listed between F1-F12 are commonly used as shortcuts for computer functions.You will see to the far left of the function keys the Esc or escape button. This useful button willclose menus or used for a way to stop within web browsers.

Some control keys you will see next to the spacebar are shown here:

The Control Keys are used in combination with other keys to perform certain commands. Thewindows icon on the control key button will launch the start menu in Windows. The arrow buttons are useful for navigation within programs such as word processing applications such as

Microsoft Word.

Some more navigational and erasing keys include:

The Delete key is used for erasing. The Insert, Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down are usedto move within a screen.

The computer keyboard is also equipped with a numerical keypad to the far right of thekeyboard.

This keyboard expedites the manner used to enter numbers into an application such as electronic

spreadsheets.


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Tips!If your mouse was to malfunction, you can use the keys on your keyboard to navigate and

perform functions on your computer. The most popular combination is Ctrl+Alt+Delete.

Pressing these three buttons in sequence (keeping each one pressed down while you press the

next ones), together will take you into a mode where you may shut down your machine. This isimportant to know if your mouse is not responding.

Remember!Speed should not be your focus when learning the keyboard. Rather than becoming quick on the

keys learn where the keys are and what they are used for. You may not use all of the keys on the

keyboard. It takes time to become more comfortable on the keys.

2.5 Opening and Closing an Application

An application is defined as a computer program designed to help people perform a certain type

of work (or recreation!). Examples of applications include word processing programs,spreadsheets, media players, and even games.

In this lesson we will learn how to Open and Close an application. An application, sometimes

called a program, performs a certain task. There are literally hundreds of applications and it

would be impossible for us to know them all. The good news is that applications Open (start) andClose (end) in the same manner.

Open an Application via the Desktop - The Desktop is the image you see when your computer

powers on. Located on your Desktop are Icons and these Icons are graphic images that whenclicked will Open or “start” a program. Placed on your Desktop is an Icon to Paint program.

We will use this application to practice Opening and Closing an application.

Click on the Paint Icon to open the application.

After clicking on Paint Icon, the application will Open or start. A screen as below appears.


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On the screen in the upper right corner is an X button. : Click on it to close the application.

Closing the application will stop or end the program, putting it away.

Open an Application via the Start Menu

Earlier we opened the Solitaire application by clicking the Solitaire Icon on the Desktop. Now,

let’s use the Start button to open the Solitaire application. The Start button is located in the

lower left corner of the Desktop and looks like this:

Click on the Start Button located on your Desktop. The Start Menu will appear. The Start

Menu allows for accessing your applications, getting help, or changing options on your

computer. Slowly move your mouse to the All Programs.

Minimize Resize

Close


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The All Programs menu will expand showing you the programs in your computer. The AllPrograms menu may vary from computer to computer as each computer could have different

programs loaded. In the list of programs, look for the menu option that says Accessories

Notice there is a triangle beside the word Accessories. The triangle is referred to as an arrow and

indicates there are more menu options. If you move your mouse to the arrow the other options

will appear. Move your mouse to the arrow and the Accessories Menu appears. The list ofdifferent programs appears.

Slowly move your mouse over to the list of games and down (not diagonally - straight over andthen straight down!) to Solitaire. Once your mouse is on Paint icon, click your mouse to open the

application. Solitaire should open as you saw earlier. Once again, you can close the application

with the X in the upper right hand corner.

Remember!It's a good idea to close any open applications before you shut down your computer!

You can practice different drawings and coloring them using mouse as an exercise to get

practice.

2.6 Working with Files

2.6.1 Saving a file

Suppose you have typed in a letter in WordPad or Word, and you want to save it for later use.1. From the File menu, got to the Save As option.

2. In the save As dialog box that appears, select the folder you want the file to be saved in.

It could, for example be the My documents folder.


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3. Now type in the name you wish to give to the file.4. Click on the Save button, and the Title bar of the WordPad or Word document will

display the file name.

2.6.2 Opening and closing a file

1. To retrieve a file you have saved earlier follow the steps listed below.2. From the File menu select the Open option. Alternately, click on the folder icon.

3. From the list that appears double-click on the file you want to open. Make sure that you

look for the file in the folder you saved it in.

4. To close a file, you can click on the cross sign (X), i.e. Close button on the upper-rightcorner of the window. Alternately, you can go the File menu and select the Close option.

2.6.3 Deleting a file

1. To delete a file, proceed as follows.2. Double-click to open the folder or drive where the file is stored.

3. Select the file you want to delete from the folder, say My Documents.4. Right click on the file; a menu appears (see Screen 4).

5. From the menu, click on the Delete option.

6. A Confirm File Delete dialog box appears to confirm the instruction given. Click yes ifyou are sure.


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To delete several files simultaneously from the folder, click to select the name of one file. Nowhold down the Ctrl key and select names of each file you want to delete. Then right click the

mouse and click Delete on the menu.

As you are already aware, deleted files and folders are stored in the Recycle Bin until the bin isemptied. Hence in order to free-up disk space, the Recycle Bin needs to be emptied. This should

be done regularly as you work more and more on your computer. The Recycle Bin can beemptied by opening it and selecting Empty Recycle Bin from the File menu.

You saw in the earlier that files can also be deleted by dragging and dropping them in the

Recycle Bin. However, the Recycle Bin may not always be visible. The above method is theneasier to use.

2.6.4 Copying and pasting a file

Sometimes, you may want to save a copy of a file in another folder or in another drive (e.g. on afloppy). To copy a file, proceed as follows.

1. Double-click on the folder or drive where the file is stored, say My Documents.

2. Select the file you want to copy.

3. Right-click on the selected file. In the menu that pops up, select Copy.4. Now open the destination folder you want to copy the file in. Make sure that no file is

selected.

5. Right click in the blank portion within the folder. Select Paste from the menu.

The selected file gets pasted in the folder. Copying the file does not delete the original file, and

only makes a copy of it.

If you want to transfer a file from one folder to another, select the Cut option on the right click

menu, instead of Copy. The file is then removed from the first folder and transferred to the

destination folder.

2.6.5 Renaming a file

Proceed as follows1. Select the file from the drive or folder.

2. Right-click on the file you want to rename.

3. From the menu select Rename. Type the new name of the file and press Enter.

2.6.6 Getting information about a file

To get information about a file, follow the steps listed below.

1. Select the file for which you want to get information such as its size, or when it was

created.2. Right click on the selected file.


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3. Go to Properties from the menu that appears.4. Select the General tab. You get all this information and more (Screen 5).

Alternately, to get information about the file you are working on, you can follow the steps listed

below.

1. Go to Properties from the File menu. The Properties dialog box appears.

2. Select the General tab. You will get all information about your file.

2.6.7 Finding a file

Sometimes you save your file on the hard disk but forget to remember the folder you had saved itin. The Find utility in Windows helps you to find the file quickly.


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1. From the Start menu, go to Search to find your file or folder. A Find dialog box appears onthe screen (see Screen 6).

2. You can now type the name of the file you are looking in the Named box. If you do not

remember the full name, type in part of the file name.

3. Click on Search now button to begin the search operation.

Windows will search the entire hard disk to match with the file name you have given. If the fileis found, you will see its name appear on the list.

Once the file is found, you may view the file by double-clicking on it, or by selecting Open from

the File menu.

You may search for another file by clicking on New Search and proceed the way you had done

earlier.

2.6.a.How to create a folder on desktop?

a. Right click on the desktop (empty space) b. Go to New

c. Click New (left click)

d. Click on Folder (left click)e. New folder appears

f. Give name, press enter

How to create a folder on My Documents?a. Left double click on my documents icon on desktop

b.

Right click on my documents (empty space)c. Go to Newd. Click New (left click)

e. Click on Folder (left click)

f. New folder appears

g. Give name, press enter

2.7 My Computer

2.7.1 Checking your hard disk

You are constantly saving documents and programs on your disk. Also, you keep deletingunwanted files or folders from your disk. Checking your disk to see what it contains is importantand you definitely need to know how to do that.

You can browse through your files on your hard disk or on any floppy by accessing themthrough the My Computer Icon on the Desktop.


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Double-clicking on the My Computer Icon shows its contents.

Double-click on the hard disk icon (img) to check files on your hard disk.

2.8 The Windows Explorer

Another way to check your disk is through Windows Explorer. The Windows Explorer shows

the location of every folder and file on your computer.

To start Windows explorer, click on Start All Programs Accessories Windows

Explorer. The Explorer window appears.

It contains two frames. The left frame shows the folders and the right frame shows the contents

of the folders. As you select a folder, the contents of that folder get displayed. Double-clickingon any of the files, opens the file.

When you open Windows Explorer; you will notice a plus (+) sign to the left of some folders.

This indicates that the folder contains more not displayed folders or files. Clicking on the plussign will display these folders and files.

A minus (-) sign next to the folder indicates that all the folders are displayed. Clicking on thenegative sign will hide all he subfolders and turn it to a plus sign again.


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2.9 Changing Settings from the Control Panel

You can easily change the basic settings of the computer. You can change the background of the

desktop, icons on the Desktop, colour of windows and many more things.

For this; click on Start Control Panel.

1.

From the Control Panel, select the Date/Time properties. This option allows you to fix thetime and date on your computer. The date and time feature is displayed at the lower-right

corner of the screen. Normally, you do not require changing the time once the system clock is

set.1. From the Start menu, go to Control Panel.


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Burning a CD

a. Click on DVD – RAM drive under removable storage

b. The window opens

c.

Copy and paste (or drag and drop) the file to be written to the CD or DVDd. Click on write to cd on the left hand side

e. Give name to the CD/DVD after clicking on nextf. Click next till finish appears.

g. Click finish, the CD/DVD tray would have come out.

h. Insert the tray back into the writer.

i. Click on the CD/DVD writer icon in my computer to view the contents


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Chapter 3 Word Processing

You know that word processing is one of the most popular and most widely used computer

applications. Many word processing packages are available, such as WordPad, WordPerfect and

MS Word. We will work with MS Word. As has been already said many times, it does not reallymatter which version of MS Word you are using. The icons and menus might look different but

the functions are almost the same.

MS Word Commands

To start MS Word,

Start Programs MS Word (Or) Start Programs MS Office MS Worddepending on how your computer is configured.

The main screen of Word has a set of menus, tools bars and the work area.• The Title bar displays the name of the document you are working on.•

The Menu bar opens up options for each menu.

• The Ribbon provides buttons for features, such as opening or saving files, printing,changing font, font style and font size, alignment, copying and pasting.

• The Status bar gives the line, column and page number that your cursor is on.

• The Scroll bars enable you to move up, down, right or left in a document to see the portions that are not visible on the screen.

3.1 Entering the desired text in your document:

The text is typed in the work area. The cursor can be moved by using the arrow keys or themouse in this work area.

Correcting mistakes: Take the cursor to the mistake, delete it and type the correction.

Deleting text: Select by dragging the mouse over the text, keeping its left button pressed.

Adding text: To add some text at any place in the document, take the cursor there and type the

text. It gets inserted in that place.

1. If you wish to replace the existing text with new text, press the Insert key before typing.

The new text will then replace the existing text.

2. To get back to Insert mode, press Insert again.

Cutting, copying and pasting text: The commands used to edit a document are present on the

Tool bar known as the Standard Tool bar.

1. To cut a portion of text, select it and click on the Cut icon X. The selected text

disappears.

2. If you want to copy text from one place to another without deleting it, select the text andclick on the Copy icon instead of Cut.


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3. To paste the text at any place, take the cursor there and click on the Paste icon.Alternatively select Paste from the Edit menu. The text appears. Pasting of text can be

done at any place in the same document, or in another document.

Saving and retrieving:

To save and retrieve a document, follow the steps listed.

1. Select Save from the Office button. If you are saving the work for the first time, the

dialogue box appears. Select the folder in which you want the file to be saved, type in

the file name you want to give to the document, and click on Save. Or click on the Save

icon in the Standard Tool bar.2. To retrieve a document, select open from the Office menu or click on the Open icon in

the Standard Tool bar. Select the folder in which the file is present, and select the file

from the list which appears. Click OK.3.

The New command in the File menu or the New icon opens a new document.

Making text bold, italics or underlined:

There are three buttons, which are used to change the style.

1. Select the text using the mouse.2. On the Tool bar, Click on B for bold, I for italics and U underline.

3. The text changes to bold letters/Italics/ Underlined as done earlier.

Changing font and font size: The steps listed below will help you to change the font.

1. To change font, select the text and click on the font list in the Font menu. A list of font

appears. Select the font you want by clicking on it.2. To change the font size, select the text and click on Grow Font A’ in the Font menu,

click on it to increase the font size and click on Shrink font A ‘in the Font menu to

decrease the font size.

Justification (alignment) of text: The commands used to align text in a document are present

in the Formatting Tool Bar.

1. Select the matter to be aligned.

2.

Click on the alignment required.(Left Alignment/Centre Alignment/RightAlignment/Justify)

Bullets and Numbering: A bulleted list can be created either on an already entered text or while

the text is being entered. Microsoft Word automatically creates bulleted and numbered lists as

you type, or you can quickly add bullets or numbers to existing lines of text. The steps listed below will help you create a bulleted or numbered list.


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1. Select the list, which you desire to be bulleted or numbered.2. Type 1. to start a numbered list or * (asterisk) to start a bulleted list, and then press

SPACEBAR or TAB. Type any text you want.

3. Press ENTER to add the next list item.

4.

Word automatically inserts the next number or bullet.5. To finish the list, press ENTER twice, or press BACKSPACE to delete the last bullet or

number in the list.

Adding bullets to the text

On the Home toolbar, click Bullets Button image or Numbering Button image

3.2 Adding pictures

Pictures can be added in a Word document from Picture, clip Art or from any other software.

1. To insert a Clip Art picture, go to the Insert menu and click on Clip Art.

2. Select Clip Art from the list that appears. Select the picture that you want to insert.You can resize the picture or move it to any other place after it is inserted.

3. You can insert a picture from Paint by selecting From File option from the list that

appears in Picture, in the Insert menu.4. You can add a WordArt object by selecting from the list that appears in Pictures, in the

Insert menu.

3.3 Changing page margins

The top, bottom, left and right margins are set by Word on its own. These are the defaultsettings.

1. To change the margins, select Page Layout menu. The Page Setup ribbon box appears,

showing the default values for the margins. These can be changed by pressing the arrows

next to each option.2. Click on OK to get back to the page, which now has a changed layout.

3.4 Adding headers and footers, and page numbers

If you want a line on the top or bottom of each page of your document (e.g. a line giving the

name of the document at the top, and page number at the bottom), you have to insert a header(for top line) and footer (for bottom line).

1. On the Insert tab, in the Header & Footer group, click Header or Footer.


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2. Click the header or footer that you want to add to your document.3. Click the page number, to add page number.

4. In the gallery, scroll through the options, and then click the page number format that you

want.

5.

To return to the body of your document, click Close Header and Footer on the Design tab(under Header & Footer Tools).

3.5 Making Columns

The steps listed below will help you to make columns in a document.

1. If you want to divide the page into columns, select columns from the Page Layout menu.2. In the Columns dialog box that appears, select the number of columns you want. This

will divide the page into equal columns.

3. If you want the columns to be of different widths, click on the check box in front of

Equal column width to clear it, and alter the width of the columns according to yourrequirement.

4.

Click on OK . The page will be divided into columns, ready for you to enter the text.

3.6 Checking spellings and grammar - The computer has a dictionary in its memory. It can

check each word you type against the dictionary and inform you which words it cannot find.

It will also provide a list of similar words for you to choose from. The computer also checkselementary grammar and warns you of mistakes.

1. To carry out a check, select Spelling and Grammar from the Review menu or click on the

icon on the ribbon. The Spelling and Grammar dialog box will come up. The computerlists one by one the grammar and spelling mistakes and gives suggestions.

2. For spelling mistakes, you can select the correct word from the list, or ignore the words

suggested. Usually, suggestions for names of people and places are ignored, as these are

mostly not present in the computer’s dictionary and ar e shown as mistakes.3. For grammar mistakes, you can accept or ignore the suggestion.

3.7 Printing

Switch on the printer.

1. Select Print from the Office Button menu. The print dialog box appears.


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2. Specify the pages you want to print and the number of copies you want, and press Print.3. If you have to print one copy only of all the pages, you may click on the printer icon on

the Tool bar.

3.8 Exiting

To exit from Word, select Exit from the file menu.


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Chapter 4 Making Presentations Using Power Point

A colorful presentation containing text, Pictures (graphics) and animation will amaze the

viewers, and make them more interested in what you want to say. You now want to be a more

sophisticated user of this electronic presentation software. Hence you need to explore additionaltools.

4.1 What is Power Point?

PowerPoint is presentation software. It enables you to present what you want to say with the help

of the computer. Your presentation could be on ‘My Family, My Friends and I’ in Class 5. Or itcould be a story that you want to tell the children of nursery class in your school. It could also be

a project on ‘Indian Historical Monuments’ that you have prepared in history.

With the help of PowerPoint, you can put in text, graphics sound and scanned images in to your

presentation, and make it really interesting and effective. PowerPoint also allows you to addmovement (animation) in your Presentation, a sure way to hold the attention of your audience.

PowerPoint is a simple and very – user friendly application software. Most menus and dialog

boxes are similar to other Microsoft applications like MS-Word or MS-Excel. This makes it

easier to get started. However, any other presentation software may be used.

4.2 Beginning PowerPoint

To begin power Point proceed as follows.

Start Programs Microsoft Power Point or if power point is present in the Microsoftoffice folder in your computer:

Start Programs Microsoft Office Microsoft Power Point

Section 1 Each page of the working area of the presentation is called a slide. New presentationsopen with a Title slide in Normal view ready for editing.

Section 2 This area toggles between Slides view and Outline view. Slides view shows a tiny picture of all the slides in your presentation. Outline view shows the hierarchy of the text in your

slides.

Section 3 This part of the new user interface (UI) is known as the Ribbon. The different Ribbonstake the place of the toolbars and menus of previous versions in PowerPoint. The Ribbons offer

access to all the different features in PowerPoint 2007.


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4.3 Selecting the slide Layout


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Your screen now displays the Layout drop box (screen 2). This displays various types of layoutscalled Auto layout. Click to select any layout. A dark border surrounds the layout that is selected.

Each type of layout has a special purpose. Some layouts are good for titles, others are good for

text and graphic and some layouts allow a chart to be put in. Select the one that meets your

requirement.

When you click on an icon, a slide will come up on the screen. This will be one slide in your presentation. For example, if you click on the first layout i.e. the Title Slide (Screen 3) will be

displayed on the screen.

3.4 Entering Text

You will now be in Edit mode. Click inside the box where you want to type in your text and

start typing. You may change the font, font size, the font style, or the alignment of the textaccording to your liking. This is done in the same way as in MS-Word.

1. To change the font, click on the arrow next to the font name, and select the font you

want.2.

To change the font size, Click on the arrow next to the font size and select from the list

that appears.

3. To change the font style, click on for bold, for Italics and for underline. For textalignment, select the text and click on for Right alignment, for center alignment, for left

alignment and for justified.


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4.5 Adding Background to the Presentation

To make the slide attractive, add background colour.

Using the Design Tab on the Ribbon

1. Click on the Design tab of the ribbon, which contains the features you will need to add orchange a background in PowerPoint.

2. Click on the Background Style button on the right end of the ribbon. This will open the

Format Background dialog box.

Right Clicking on the Slide

1. Right click on a blank area of the slide.

2. Choose Format Background... from the shortcut menu. This will open the Format

Background dialog box.

Notes:

• Backgrounds can be applied to individual slides or to all slides in the presentation.

• There are additional features for backgrounds on the Design tab of the ribbon.


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4.5.1 Customizing the Background Color

You can customize the background of individual slides by changing the color and adding

shading, texture, or patterns.

First select the slide you want to customize

Under the Design tab in the Background group, either click the Background Styles

button and choose "Format Background..." or click the menu arrow to bring up theFormat Background dialog.

Select a Fill Style. You can choose from a solid fill, a gradient, or a picture/texture. Playaround with the settings until you're satisfied.

Note: As you adjust the settings in this menu, PowerPoint will preview the changes on your

slide.

To apply the changes only to the current slide, click Close.

To apply the changes to all your slides, click Apply to All.

To undo any changes, click Reset Background.

4.6 Adding a Picture

Picture or graphics can be inserted in the slides. You can get them from the Clip art gallery, or

download from the internet. You can also scan photographs or pictures from a book or magazine,

using a scanner. To insert a graphic from Clip art proceed as follows.

Insert Clip arts

Scroll through the Clip arts that appear till you find what you need. Click Insert. You can drag

the pictures to any position in the slide, and also resize it, as you did in paint or MS Word.

Screen 5 displays a list of pictures, sounds and motion clips.


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Once you have inserted a picture, you can recolor it. Follow the steps listed below.

1. Select the picture

2. Go to the Picture tool bar.

3. Click on the Recolor Picture button4. The recolor Picture dialog box appears

5. Here you can select the color which you like.

4.7 Saving Your Slide

1. From the file menu, select Save As or (Save if you have already given a name to your\

slide).

2. On the Save As dialog box , give your presentation name, and click Save

4.7.1 Adding More Slides

A Presentation will normally have several slides. More slides may be inserted by clicking on the

New Slide button on the tool bar. You can select different Auto layouts for different slides fromthe New Slide Dialog box. You can use different color schemes and effects for different slides, to

introduce variety and make your presentation more effective.


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The slide shown above was made using a Text & Clipart Layout.

4.10 Viewing Slides in different Ways

Microsoft PowerPoint comes with different views to help you while you are creating a

presentation. The slides in your presentation can be viewed in various ways – one by one, ortogether. To easily switch between views, you click the buttons at the lower – left side of the

PowerPoint window.

These are the three main ways to view the slides .

4.10.1 Slide Show View

In this view, each slide fills the entire screen. You can view the presentation as it would look

finally. You can change from one side to another by clicking the mouse. You can also make the presentation automatic, by setting timings. We will learn how to do this in a little while.

4.10.2 Slide Sorter View

In this Slide Sorter view, you can see all the slides in your presentation on screen at the same

time displayed in order. This makes it easy to add, delete and move slides and add animated

transitions for moving from slide to slide. In this mode you can shuffle the slides around to

change the order in which they appear.

4.10.3 Normal view

In this view the slide will be shown as it in the state before Slide show or Slide sorter view. In

this view you can incorporate any changes to the slides.

4.10.4 Notes Page view

Click View Click Notes Page


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This view allows you to make notes below each slide. The notes will not be available duringSlide show. You can take a printout, and use the notes to remember what you want to say during

the presentation. This view can vary depending on your version of PowerPoint.

4.11 Adding Animation Effects

Animation may be added to either text or graphics. You can make the next or graphics of a slideappear on the screen in different ways. For example, the graphic can be made to crawl in slowly

from the left to right.

4.11.1 Animating Slide Transition

Animations menu select the slide Select transition (Displayed) Add Transition

Properties (Speed, Sound)

Here you can also add features like on mouse click (slide show will move to the next slide onlyafter the mouse click), automatically after (here you need to give a time span, so that slide will

move on next slide after that time).

4.11.2 Animating the text

1. Go to Normal View and select the Slide in which the text to be animated placed.

2. Go to Animation menu on the toolbar.

3. Select Custom Animation

4. In the Custom Animation dialog box click on the option Add Effects. Under that you willfind many options like Entrance, Emphasize, Exit and Motion path. According to the

needs you can select the Options. Try out various options in the Add Effects Menu.Remember to save your presentation.

4.12 Making the presentation Automatic

1. As we mentioned earlier to make the animation to run automatically go to Animationmenu on the tool bar and in you right hand upper corner a check box is shown

Automatically After.

2. Check the box.3. Select appropriate time you need. (For example 10 second, 20 Seconds)

4. When you run the slide show it will show the next slide automatically after 10 or 20

second as per the time you have mentioned.

4.13 Using Readymade Templates

You can use the backgrounds template that you downloaded as the starting point for a new presentation. If you have to apply this template to a new presentation at a later date, do the following:

1. Click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click New.


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2. In the New Presentation dialog box, under Templates, Click ‘My Templates’ or‘Installed templates’ tab.

3. Select the template you like.

4. Click Create.

4.14 Planning a Presentation

A good presentation should be carefully planned out. Planning need you to keep the following

things in mind.

Be clear about the purpose of the presentation, and for whom it is meant. For example,Presentation made for adults will be different from a presentation made for children.

Make sure there are slides to convey all the points that you wish to make. i.e., organize

your material thoughtfully.

Focus only on one idea in a slide. Keep it simple.

Use text and graphics effectively. Too much text on a slide is difficult to read. Graphics

should be relevant and not simply decorative.

Do not use too many fonts in one slide. It takes the attention away from the main

content.

Choose a background to enhance the quality of a slide. It should not make it difficult forthe text to be read.

Any PowerPoint presentation would essentially involve any or all of the following

characteristics.

1. Selecting the right slide Layouts2. Placing of correct content and graphics into a slide.

3. Adding background templates, colors and animating the text

4. Organizing the various slides.5. Animating the slides.

6. Customizing the slides however

7. Looping the slide show.

8. Adding information about the presentation, i.e., adding footers and notes.


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Chapter 5 Spread Sheets

An electronic spreadsheet is a software program that makes rows and columns. It does

calculations and other operations on the data that you enter these rows and columns. It also

allows you to analyze the data you enter the results graphically as well.

Spreadsheets can be used for various purposes, wherever calculations are required. It could begrade calculation by a teacher, planning expenses by a housewife or financial planning by an

organization.

In this chapter we are going to use the spread sheets called Excel, which is a part of Microsoftoffice suite. The other versions of the spreadsheet which are available in the market work on the

same principle. Only the commands will be different.

To open Microsoft Excel, go to the Start menu All Programs Microsoft Office

From the list of office programs click on Microsoft Excel 2007. The window thatappears shows blank rows and columns.

The window that appears on the screen is only a part of the big spread sheet that is available for

you. To see more rows and columns you have to scroll down or scroll to the right.


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The Excel window that appears on the screen is called a work book. In Microsoft Excel, a work book is the file in which you work and store your data. Each work book can contain many

worksheets. A worksheet, also known as spreadsheet is the primary document that you use in

MS Excel to store work and data. A worksheet consists of cells that are organized into rows and

columns.In a spreadsheet the columns are labeled as letters. Letters go from A to Z, then from AA to AZ,

BA to BZ and so on till IV. There are columns in all in a spreadsheet sheet. Rows are labelednumbers 1, 2, 3… There are several thousand rows in a spreadsheet.

The intersection of row and column is called Cell. This is where data is entered. Each cell has a

label that shows which row and column it lies in. Thus, cells are uniquely identified as A1, A2,A3… (column label, followed by the row number). The cell on which you click is the active cell.

5.1 Making a Spreadsheet

Each cell can store a number or text. When the mouse pointer is moved in the work area, it

changes from an arrow shape to curser, which looks like a Plus sign.


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Clicking the mouse on a cell selects the cell. The selected cell has a dark border around it (seecell A1 in the picture). The arrow keys on the keyboard can be used to move the cursor from the

cell to cell.

Let us start making a new spreadsheet. We will use the spreadsheet to plan the way we spend our pocket money, and analyze where we spend most of it.

5.1.1 Entering Labels

The first step is to enter a title – ‘Pocket Money Planning Model”.

1. Enter the title in row 12. Press Enter to confirm. Since we start by typing a letter and not a number, what we type

is called Label.

3. Next, type the subtitle ‘First week’ in row 2. Press Enter

You may like to change the font, font size, font style and color for the title and Subtitle. You can

locate the icons for these options on the Tool bar of Excel.

4. Select the font Times New Roman, Size 18 points, Style Bold for the title.5. Select Times New Roman, size 14 points, Style italics for the Subtitle.

If you are working with any version of excel older than Excel 97 then you will have to increasethe height of row 1 to make letters fit nicely. Excel 97 or later versions automatically adjusts

with the font size.

6. In the Third Row let us type the column headings. Column headings begin from columnB that is second column. The headings are Monday in cell B3, Tuesday in cell C3,

Wednesday in D3, Thursday in E3, Friday in F3, Saturday in G3, and Sunday in H3.Remember to press Enter after typing each label.

7. Column A is kept for giving row headings. ( in Times New Roman 12 Bold)

Headings in the first column for the rows are Provisions in cell A4, Vegetables in cell A5,

Milk (A6), Travel (A7), Stationery (A8), others (A9) and total in cell A10.

Your Spread sheet now will look like the picture below.


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5.1.2 Entering Numerical Data

Once the column and row headings are done, you are ready to enter the numbers. Data is entered

into a cell by selecting that cell and typing the data from the keyboard. Data appears in the Entry

bar. When you feed the numbers in the entry bar it will be reflecting in the cells. When you hitthe Enter key the cursor moves to the adjoining cell.

If an error is made, it can be corrected by selecting the cell and entering the correct data or

editing the data in the Entry bar, and pressing Enter. The new data replaces the previous data.

Let us say that you are creating, now type in the amount of money that you spend every day oneach of the categories. At this point, let us round off the values to the nearest rupee. Some of the

cells could be zero also. This would indicate that you did not spend any money on that category

on that day. The spreadsheet now looks like screen below.

5.1.3 Formulas and Functions

The ability of a spreadsheet to perform calculations on the data is what makes the spreadsheet

application so powerful. You can perform addition, subtraction, multiplication and division ofnumbers, in a spreadsheet. But you have to first ‘instruct” the spr eadsheet what calculations have

to be done. This is done by giving formulas.

Let us now make the spreadsheet do some calculations on the numbers entered. Let us find thetotal money spent on each day.

We would like the totals for each day to appear in the respective column, in row 10, where thelabel Total is entered.

To find the total for Monday, we have to add the contents of cells B4, B5, B6, B7, B8 and B9,and put the total in cell B10. For this we have to give the formula:

B4+B5+B6+B7+B8+ B9 in B10.


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However, if we simply enter this cell, the computer will not know this is a formula. It will

consider it to be a label. It will therefore simply show B4+B5+B6+B7+B8+B9 in the cell

B10. No addition will be done.

You need to inform the computer the given text is a formula. So you have to give anequal to (=) symbol or a Plus (+) symbol before that.

=B4+B5+B6+B7+B8+B9 (or) +B4+B5+B6+B7+B8+B9

When you press Enter, the sum appears in the cell B10. The formula can be seen in the entry bar.

But such a formula would be very cumbersome if you were to find the sum of, say 30 cells. You

can then use a shorter formula, known as a function.

Similarly for each day enter the formula and find the total. End of the week sum up all totals and

find out the total for the week.

5.1.4 Save your worksheet

The work you have done is currently stored in the computer’s temporary memory. To save the

work for future use, you must give the worksheet name and store it on the hard disk. The steps

are as follows.

1. Select Save Command from the File menu. The Save As dialog box appears, this will save the

file in a particular folder.

2. In the File name box type any file name of your choice or relevant to the work sheet.

5.1.5 Copy and Move

In your Weekly Budget Planning worksheet, let us now record the data for the second Week.You could type in the row and column headings again, and enter the data for the second

week. But there is a shorter method also.


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1. Select the Cell you want to copy by dragging your mouse over it.2. Go to the Clip Board Group and click Copy Icon.

3. Click on the cell where you want to place the contents.

4. Go to the Clip Board Group again and else click on the paste icon.

You can also copy the contents of multiple cells by a single command. Therefore, to make the

spreadsheet for the second week, it will be easier to copy the entire first week’s column and row headings and data below the total row, and then change the values for the amount spent on each

day.

To use the shorter method, follow the steps listed below.

1. Select the entire table except the main title.

2. Select Copy

3. Move your cursor two rows below the last filled up row.

4. Click on the column A from where you want to begin the second table.5. Select Paste.

Now make necessary changes.

Change the subheading First Week to Second Week. Put in the correct values for the amount ofmoney that you spent on each category in the second week. As you change the values, the totals

will change accordingly. The Computer Automatically recalculates the totals according to the

formulas you have given. Once you are done, save your work. Similarly, make the tables for the

third and the fourth week also.


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You now need information on the total amount of money that you have spent in one month. Thiswould be the total of the amounts spent every week. Can you figure out for yourself what

formula is required? Select a cell and give the formula. Work out the total manually and see if

the two tally.

5.1.7 USING AUTOFILL

Ms-Excel’s Auto fill feature lets you enter a predefined series of data such as text or numbers

quickly. The steps to create a numeric data series are:

1. Enter the first two values of the data in adjacent cells. The first two data values

determine the increment value and the starting number for the series. For example, thetwo numbers entered into consecutive cells are 100 and 101.Thus the starting value is

100 and the increment value is 1.

2. Select the two cells

3. Click the AUTOFILL HANDLE (a small black square) in the lower right corner of the

selected cells and drag it to enclose the area you want to fill with the number series.4. Release the mouse button. The cells enclosed in the gray border will be filled with the

number series desired.

EXCEL WORK OUT

Using Excel formulae to do calculations

1. Enter the data as shown below in an Excel worksheet.

A B C D E

1 ADDITION SUBTRACTION MULTIPLICATION DIVISION EXPONENT

2 56 567 45 36 5

3 67 78 56 6 24 45

5 34

6 =A2+A3+A4+A5 = B2-B3 =C2*C3 = D2/D3 =E2^E3

Enter the formulae as shown in the table and press ENTER KEY on the key board each time and

result appears in the row 6.

(IT IS REQUIRED TO INSERT = SIGN BEFORE THE FORMULA)

2. Using AUTOSUM facility.

There are some functions which can be done by using AUTOSUM BUTTON (∑) which allows

us to do the functions (1) Sum (2) Average (3) Count (4) Maximum (5) Minimum etc.

(1) Sum: To add the numbers in the above table, go to A6, click on the arrow next to ∑

button in the right hand side top corner in HOME ribbon and again click on SUM and thecells A2 to A5 are highlighted. Press enter key on the keyboard to see the result.

(2) Average: To get the average of the numbers in cell A2 to A5, again click on average next

to the ∑ button and press enter key to get the average.


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(3) Count: This function counts the number of cells having numbers in the selected range.To use this function, click on COUNT next to AUTOSUM button.

(4) Maximum: this function gives the maximum of the value in cells.

(5) Minimum: This function gives the minimum of the value in cells.

5.2 Errors in Spreadsheets

Suppose you made a mistake in entering the formula for one of the days of the week. The total

for that day would be wrong. Also, all calculations which use that figure would be wrong. For

example, the total for the month would be wrong. Also, the calculation for the amount of money

left over at the end of the month would be wrong. Thus, an incorrect formula can lead to multipleerrors in different places in a spreadsheet.

To catch these types of errors it is a good practice to cross-check the results. Let us see how.

In our pocket money planner, we found the totals for each day. We then summed up these to findthe total amount of money spent in a week. We can also find the total amount spent each week in

another way.

Find the amount of money spent on each category in a week.

Use column I for this. The functions are of the form +SUM (B4…H4).

Next, Sum up all these totals and give the sum in cell I11. This will give us the totalspent in the week. This should be the same as the total found by summing up the total

spent each day given in cell I10. If there is a difference, a mistake has been madesomewhere and needs to be corrected.

Cross checking becomes very important whether the accounting is done manually or on a

spreadsheet.

5.3 Formatting Spreadsheet CellsTake a look at the Weekly budget planning Model. The numeric values are all aligned towards

the right side of the cell, while all text is aligned to the left. This is the default alignment ofExcel. The table would be easier to read and look more attractive if we could put the numbers in

the center of the column. The row and column headings would look better if they are made bold.


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1. Select the row headings and click on the icon for Bold. Now select the column headings

and make them bold. The spreadsheet becomes easier to read if the totals are made bold also.

2. Select the data and click on the icon to center align. When you save the spreadsheet

now, the formatting is also saved.

You can change the colour of the text by using the icon. You can give a different colourheadings and data for each week. This makes it more attractive, and also easier to identify the

week.

5.9 Spreadsheet Application

A spreadsheet package like Excel can be used by various people and organization for various purposes- from tabulating school results to preparing budget of a large organization. Many

professional people set up spreadsheets with all labels and formulas for a specific application, for

example to calculate their income tax. Any person can then this spreadsheet designed by them, to put in his or her own data to calculate his or her income tax. Such readymade spreadsheets are

called templates.

The Meteorological department can use a spreadsheet to study and analyze changing temperatureor humidity of a place over time. The temperature or humidity data can be typed in and the

variations are analyzed graphically. Teachers use spreadsheets to store the marks obtained by the

students, and analyze a student’s performance over a year.

Many small businesses use spreadsheet to keep track of the sales of their goods, and the goods

lying in their stock yards, as well as to study their profiles from selling the goods. Spreadsheets

are used by companies to do market research. They may wish to see how their profits will changeif they change the prices of their products. For example, lowering the price of a product results in

higher sales and therefore can actually lead to an increase in profits.


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Chapter 6 The Internet

6.1 Introduction

We are already aware that the internet is a huge network of computers. It connects millions ofcomputers all over the world, to each other. There is no one Central Computer. All computer are

placed at different places and are connected to each other through telephone lines (or cableconnection), modems and satellite links. Any two computers connected to the Internet can

exchange information. The Internet is therefore a very fast and efficient way of sending

information all over the world. That is why it is often referred as the information

Superhighway.

All you require to connect your computer to the Internet is an Internet connection from an

Internet Service Provider(ISP) such as BSNL, AirTel, Tata Indicom, a telephone line(or a cable)

connected to your computer, a modem and a software that lets you become a part of this huge

network.

Once you are connected to the net, you can do many different tasks.

The most popular is to communicate with friends and relatives. This can be achieved bysending e-mail messages or through on-line chatting.

You can also find information on any subject or topic on the Net.

Internet also used in a big way to learn through many simulation Programs that have been

made available on it.

Simulation is a process of creating conditions in the virtual world similar to that of the real

world. Computers have made it possible to create simulation program. For Example, to dissectfrog you don’t need to kill a frog. You can learn to dissect a frog without killing a one. A

simulation program would give you Step-by-step instructions on dissection, and you will learn

about the internal System of a frog.

The internet is thus making it possible to do a lot of things without having to leave home at all.

There many advantages to using the internet, they as follows.

6.2 Uses of Internet

Email

E-mail is an online correspondence system. With e-mail you can send and receive an instant

electronic message, which works like writing letters. Your messages are delivered instantly to

people anywhere in the world, unlike traditional mail that takes a lot of time. Email is now anessential communication tools in business. It is also excellent for keeping in touch with family

and friends. The advantages to email is that it is free (no charge per use) when compared to

telephone, fax and postal services.


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Information

The Internet is a virtual treasure trove of information. Any kind of information on any topic

under the sun is available on the Internet. The ‘search engines’ on the Internet can help you to

find data on any subject that you need. There is a huge amount of information available on theinternet for just about every subject known to man, ranging from government law and services,

trade fairs and conferences, market information, new ideas and technical support.

Services

Many services are now provided on the internet such as online banking, job seeking andapplications, and hotel reservations. Often these services are not available off-line or cost more.

Buy or sell products

The internet is a very effective way to buy and sell products all over the world. Along withgetting information on the Internet, you can also shop online. There are many online stores and

sites that can be used to look for products as well as buy them using your credit card. You do notneed to leave your house and can do all your shopping from the convenience of your home.

Communities - Communities of all types have sprung up on the internet. It is a great way to

meet up with people of similar interest and discuss common issues.

Online Chat - There are many ‘chat rooms’ on the web that can be accessed to meet new people,

make new friends, as well as to stay in touch with old friends

Skype: the service allows users to communicate with peers by voice using a micropho

CONDENSED and Revised Basic Computer Skills for Senior Citizens 04-06-2014 - Final

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