The Spreadsheet: Software for Simulation and Speculation

Rules of Thumb: Avoiding Spreadsheet Pitfalls
- Plan the worksheet before you start entering values and formulas
- Make your assumptions as accurate as possible
- Double-Check every formula and value
- Make formulas readable
- Check your output against other systems
- Build in Cross-Checks
- Change the input data values and study the results
- Take advantage of pre-programmed functions, templates, and macros
- Use a spreadsheet as a decision- making aid, not as a decision-maker

>Spreadsheets allow you to change numbers and instantly see the effects of those changes
      - "What if I enter this value?"
>Equation solvers
      - Some spreadsheets generate data needed to fit a given equation and target value.

Spreadsheets Graphics: From Digits to Drawing
> Charts allow you to turn numbers into visual data
> Pie charts show proportions relative to the whole
> Line charts show trends or relationships over time