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
Common Core (2010)
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
AP Biology (2019)
SP5
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