Embedding

         Here at Com Sci, we are not just staring at a book and learning things but also there are times where we have fun using compters.  Today, I just learned how to embed a simple yet fun game.  And I would like you to try it!

  This is just one of the examples that I would like to show    to you.  Go ahead.  Try it!  Just drag the disks and play!

Well here's another one!

You can check out lots of stuff at abowman.com!

Expressing Data in Charts/Graphs

        In representing data, we may not fully understand if the data is expressed in numbers or tables.  We may not know the difference between them or we can't easily differentiate the things we are expressing in Excel.

        Thus, in expressing one's data, we can easily understand if it is expressed in a chart or a graph.  Charts or graphs are commonly used, for example, in representing a company's sale from last year to this year.  We may automatically understand the data being shown if the data is represented in charts.  We may conclude that the sale of the company increased because of the chart.  

          Here is an example of a chart:

          Charts are therefore important to differentiate a certain company sale or a change in temperature in a city over the past few years.  Charts are important!

Making Images

You can observe in most pictures that most of them, when magnified, is composed of teeny tiny little boxes.  Those are called pixels.  Pixels are what make a picture clear and high definition but when observed when magnified, it is blurry.  You can make a pixelated picture using Excel.  Simply click the small triangle under the name box and adjust the size of each cell to make each cell square.  Then think of the picture you would want to “draw”.  To choose what color to put in that cell, click the fill color in the Font part of the Home ribbon.  Making a simple picture might take a long time but it was worth it!  Anything is possible using Excel.

Example:

Can you count them all?

How many columns and rows in Excel?  If you tried to scroll down or right, you might think it is infinite.  But no, the number of columns and rows may differ depending to the RAM of the computer being used.  However, some computers have the same number of rows and columns.  How can you see the end of rows and computers?  Just press END + down arrow key to see the end of rows in Excel.  Same for the columns, just press END + right arrow key to see the end of columns in Excel.  In my computer, the end of rows is row 1048576 and the for the column is column XFD.  You can try this at home! No wonder Excel has many cells.  Can you count them all?

What IF?

What’s the hardest function you might ask?  The hardest function (in my opinion) is the IF function.  What it does?  You can use it to program a game or something.  The IF function returns one value if a condition you specify evaluates to TRUE, and another value if that condition evaluates to FALSE. For example, the formula =IF(A1>10,"Over 10","10 or less") returns "Over 10" if A1 is greater than 10, and "10 or less" if A1 is less than or equal to 10.  The IF function is like this:  =IF(logical_test, [value_if_true], [value_if_false]). The parts of the IF function are here as follows:

·     logical_test - Any value or expression that can be evaluated to TRUE or FALSE. For example, A10=100 is a logical expression; if the value in cell A10 is equal to 100, the expression evaluates to TRUE. Otherwise, the expression evaluates to FALSE. This argument can use any comparison calculation operator.

·     value_if_true - The value that you want to be returned if the logical_test argument evaluates to TRUE. For example, if the value of this argument is the text string "Within budget" and the logical_test argument evaluates to TRUE, the IF function returns the text "Within budget." If logical_test evaluates to TRUE and the value_if_true argument is omitted (that is, there is only a comma following the logical_test argument), the IF function returns 0 (zero). To display the word TRUE, use the logical value TRUE for the value_if_true argument.

·     value_if _false - The value that you want to be returned if the logical_test argument evaluates to FALSE. For example, if the value of this argument is the text string "Over budget" and the logical_test argument evaluates to FALSE, the IF function returns the text "Over budget." If logical_test evaluates to FALSE and the value_if_false argument is omitted, (that is, there is no comma following the value_if_true argument), the IF function returns the logical value FALSE. If logical_test evaluates to FALSE and the value of the value_if_false argument is omitted (that is, in the IF function, there is no comma following the value_if_true argument), the IF function returns the value 0 (zero).

The IF function is hard to understand at first, but as soon as you get to know Excel, you might even make a vector image or make a game in that piece of software.

Functionality

                Well here’s the easiest part in solving mathematical formulas.  Using functions instead of formulas.  Imagine if you would want to add all the numbers in column A, and you are using formulas.  Well that would be very tiring.  For example:  =A1+A2+A3+A4+A5+… That is very unpractical.  That is one of the reasons that functions are commonly used instead of formulas.  Some examples that our teacher told us are:

·         =SUM(A1:A5)

·         =PRODUCT(A1:A5)

·         =QUOTIENT(A1,A2)

       For using subtraction, the function is the same as addition but instead of subtracting positive numbers, try adding negative numbers.

Formulas

             What is a formulae?  To perform calculations, you have to type in a mathematical formula.  A formula must start with = followed by a combination of cell names numbers and operators.  Example formulas:

Addition	=C6+A12
Subtraction	=B3-A1
Multiplication	=S4*P9
Division	=G4/W2
Exponentiation	=Q2^D6
Percentage	=L9*32%

             You can do this in any cell, provided that the cells you are calculating have a numerical value in it.

Cell Sizes

           We might want to adjust or re-adjust sizes of cells (columns, rows, or all of them!). It’s so simple!  To adjust column A and B, simply hover the mouse to the line between column A and B, and two arrowheads will appear.  Then, drag the arrowhead to the width you would want.  Same for the rows, simply drag the line between row 1 and 2.  These are very helpful when the font size is very big because it will not fit in the cell therefore you will need to adjust the size of the cell.

            As for the whole worksheet, for example, you want each column and row to be if equal length, click on the little triangle beside column A and on the top of row 1.  That will select all cells.  Then adjust the columns and rows!  All columns and rows will have the same specific length.

Dates and Times

         Some companies need to track their expenses that day or time so they need to enter dates or times in their spreadsheets (e.g. Excel).  Imagine, companies need to enter dates or times, every day or every time (Gets?), well that may be very tiring and stressful.  So, Excel has a shortcut key to automatically enter the date or the time.  To enter the current date, just press CTRL + ; (semicolon).  To enter the current time, just press CTRL + SHIFT + ; (semicolon) or simply saying CTRL + : (colon). Well, there  you got it!  The shortcut key to enter dates and times.

The Power

        Sometimes, we need to multiply numbers by ten to the x powers.  For example, we want to multiply all numbers we enter in a cell by ten to the 5^th power, if we entered the number 1 in a cell, it will become 100000.  Excel can make this easy by clicking Options inside the Office button.  Click Advanced, and then under Editing options, select the Automatically insert a decimal point check box.  In the Places box, enter a positive number for digits to the right of the decimal point or a negative number for the digits to the left of the decimal point.  For example, if you want to turn 100 into 1 automatically, enter 2 in the Places box as mentioned earlier.  Or 100 into 10000, just put a negative number like -2.  It’s just easy!

EXCELlent!

At first, you might think that Microsoft Excel might be boring with all those boxes (I mean cells), right?  Who would not be?  I, myself at first, also thought that Excel is not interesting, so unexciting. But…

That day, (just a normal day), our Computer Science teacher (Mr. Tom Secundo) told us we will be having a lesson in Microsoft Excel.  He explained that Microsoft Excel is a piece of software which allows us to create professional spreadsheets and charts.  He told us that a workbook is composed of several worksheets (I still do not understand).  Then, he showed us the basic information about Excel and I think I can still recall it, umm...:

• Workbook – an Excel file is called a workbook.
• Worksheet – the page you work on which is made up of grid cells. (Ahh, so the boxes are called               grid cells. Got it!)
• Cell/Selected cell – where you type data/formulae (What’s formulae again? Okay, I’ll ask it later.) into.  Cells are arranged in numbered rows and lettered columns.  You have to select a cell to add data  to it.  Data/formulae can also be typed into the formula bar. (What’s the formula bar for?)
• Column/Row heading – use the column/row headings to identify a cell’s position on the worksheet i.e. A12, B6. Click heading buttons to select a whole column/row of cells.
• Name Box – holds a cell’s selected reference number – its position on the worksheet.
• Worktab Sheet – click the tabs to work between worksheets.
• Scroll Bars – use them to display hidden parts of the worksheet.

j               What?  You want more?  Well, that's the only ones I can recall!

JOLLICHAT

With the use of e-mail softwares, communicating with family, relatives, and friends here and abroad has achieved a great leap.   These include Microsoft Outlook and Windows Live Mail.  Instant messaging softwares are software that you can chat with another person online using the programs, Skype and Yahoo Messenger.   

 

CYBERWARES

I enjoy learning the many computer softwares;  common ICT softwares, which are used for file organization (to arrange or modify files and folders such as Windows Explorer, Cubic Explorer, Free Commander), office applications (for word processing to make a professional-looking documents,  powerpoint presentations, and spreadsheets to make charts such as Microsoft Office 2010, Open Office Tools, or Apple’s iWork), and web services (to process data using the internet such as Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome).   

UP

I dream that someday, computers would be able to talk, move, hear, feel and all sorts of things just like normal people do.  My gratitude goes to Mr. Secundo, who inspires us to use our wild imaginations, and to dream big. 

 

COMPUTERJOY

Exploring the world of computers with Mr. Tom Secundo makes understanding computers a lot easier.  What I found especially meaningful is on how to use the DOS commands.  It can serve as a substitute to a computer with only a keyboard and no mouse.   Now, I realize that many usages of computers not only in my day to day activities, but also in shaping and improving the world.  

MS WORD LIKE NEVER BEFORE!

Many think they are already experts in MS Word.   But it is not how that works.  In Microsoft Word, Mr. Tom Jordan Secundo is the certified pro.  I thought I knew all there is to know in MS Word, but to my dismay, I am still wanting.

    He shared to us secrets never revealed before, like how to embed graphics, insert equations, symbols and bullets. 

BRAVO

File extensions, formats, encryption, compression, decompression, and defragmentation were fun to study.  Mr. Secundo explained the different file formats and expressions; how to compress files, decompress files, and defragment files; and the steps on how to encrypt files with a password. 

 

MR. SECUNDO TO NONE

I was excited to do the Disk Operating System (DOS) commands.  I sat in front of a computer with a blank screen with only white symbols in it.  

       My first impression was that, it was easy to learn.  I found out, though, that it was hard to remember the commands.  Mr. Tom Jordan Secundo, my computer teacher, taught us to input commands like CD, DIR, MD, REN, RD, and so many more.   He is a compuwiz. 

WHAT’S MOODLE?

Do you know what moodle is?   Moodle stands for Modular Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment.  If you search for moodle in Wikipedia, “Moodle (acronym for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) is a free software e-learning platform, also known as a Learning Management System, or Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).” 

        It is just like a normal Facebook account but can only be accessed by scholars of the Philippine Science High School.  My first impression in entering my moodle account was “Ooh, what does this button do?” or “Wow!  It’s so cool!”  By the way, the moodle account was made by Mr. Sev Malate, the server wizard.

ICTom S.S.

What is exactly the difference between an Information Communication Technology (ICT) System from an ICT Software?   

      Well, based on my understanding, an ICT System consists a hardware, software, data, and the people who use them to communicate with others, while an ICT Software consists only of the software used for communicating with someone on the web.

DOS+

I absorbed so many things during computer science class; like managing files, using the Disk Operating System commands (DOS commands), the Microsoft word and putting equations in it, the charts and graphs, and the moodle account, and embedding graphics.