Skip to the page
Year 7 · Spring 1 · Spreadsheets

Cells, ranges and data types

PracticalPresent ▶

What this lesson covers

Topic 18 Data, spreadsheets and AI

KS3 Computing · Data is raw facts. Information is data with meaning. Spreadsheets calculate, databases store and search, and AI learns patterns from examples.

Managing DataCambridge Lower Secondary Computing 0860

You will learn to

  • Identify a cell by its reference, like B3, and a range, like B2:B6.
  • Explain the difference between text, number and date data.
  • Explain why 'twelve' typed as a word cannot be added up.
  • Enter a class list with the right type of data in each column.

Success criteria

  • I can find any cell when I am given its reference.
  • I can say what type of data each column holds.
  • I can enter data so that the numbers can be added up.

Key words

Say each word, then read what it means. Every one is in the glossary too.

Formula
A spreadsheet calculation. Always starts with =.
Function
A subroutine that returns a value.
Record / field
One row in a database table: everything stored about one thing.
Primary key
A field whose value is unique for every record.
SQL
Structured Query Language: asks databases questions.
Machine learning
The computer finds rules itself from labelled examples.

The explanation

Read it here, or open the study page below to go one step at a time with things to try.

Data vs information

  • Data: 38, 41, 37, 39. Meaningless alone.
  • Information: a patient's temperature in °C over four hours; 41 is dangerously high.

Spreadsheets: the grid

A spreadsheet is a grid of cells. Columns are letters, rows are numbers. B3 = column B, row 3.

The data science cycle

  1. Ask a question.
  2. Collect data.
  3. Clean it: duplicates, typos, impossible values.
  4. Analyse: averages, sorting, charts.
  5. Conclude, honestly.
!Watch out

A link between two things (correlation) doesn't prove one causes the other.

Study it

Open the study page and go one step at a time.

Topic 18 · Year 7

Data, spreadsheets and AI

Data is raw facts. Information is data with meaning. Spreadsheets calculate, databases store and search, AI learns patterns from examples.

The steps for this lesson

Try it

Check yourself

One question at a time. The reason shows after each answer.

Saved on this device.