Excel Project

Excel is a program that definitely increases the efficiency of data calculations and the analyses of data and is very useful in the business realm. I had to opportunity to complete a project this past week that enabled me to act as if I worked for a fitness center and do various analyses to observe the effectiveness of a particular workout. I began by manipulating the data by adding and formatting columns, using the freeze panes option and using various formulas to find heart rates. I changed the page setup to ensure that the worksheet would print in landscape view with rows 1 and 2 and a header and footer on every page. Then I created two pivot tables to determine if the subjects reached their target heart rate after during the exercise regimen and the average percent increase in heart rate based on gender and the grouping of ages.

This project definitely helped to expand my knowledge about Excel. I had no idea the capabilities it has and how helpful it could be. This was actually the first time I have ever used the application and I found it to be rather clear. There were some parts that didn't click to me at first, such as how to make the formula apply to more than one cell without writing it every time. After I checked the discussion board things began to click. I value this experience because I feel this is another skill I can add to my toolkit. I found it interesting to change numbers to percentages and also pick how many decimal places to round the number. I learned how to use logical tests such as =IF(F3>E3,"YES", "NO") to compare sets of data and how to create pivot tables, something that I never knew existed. I was surprised to observe how helpful pivot tables are and how quickly they can manipulate information at the click of a button. I think Excel is a lot harder than it seems but I think even computer-illiterate people such as myself can get it with some practice.