Spreadsheet Tutorial 1: Formulae, Functions, and Averages

Resource Type
Description
In this activity, students use the built-in functions in Excel or Google Sheets to calculate the mean and median. Students apply what they learned to a dataset beak measurements of Galapágos finches.
The activity serves as an introduction to spreadsheet programs. It describes the basic organization of a worksheet, how to organize and format data, how to perform simple mathematical calculations, how to use built-in mathematical functions, and how to select and manipulate a range of numbers.
Student Learning Targets
Using spreadsheet functions, calculate the mean for a set of measurements.
Estimated Time
Key Terms
analysis, calculation, column, data, formula, function, Galapágos finches, range, sorting, variation
Terms of Use
The resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. No rights are granted to use HHMI’s or BioInteractive’s names or logos independent from this Resource or in any derivative works.
Version History
Math.N-Q.1, Math.F-LE.5, Math.A-SSE.3, Math.A-REI.3, Math.S-ID.5, Math.S-IC.3; MP1, MP2, MP4, MP5
SP5