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Practice 4: Flash Fill and Absolute Cell Referencing
Assignment Metadata
- Module: Module 2 (Weeks 3 & 4)
- Due Date:
- Starter Input:
starter_data_wk3.xlsx - Expected Submission:
[your initials]Practice04.xlsx
Skills Covered
- Flash Fill (Ctrl+E) for automatic pattern recognition and data extraction
- Relative cell references (default behavior)
- Absolute cell references using the
$operator - Mixed cell references ($A1 vs A$1)
- Toggle absolute reference mode with F4
Part 1: Flash Fill — Name Parsing (40 pts)
- Open
starter_data_wk3.xlsxin Excel. Sheet1 contains a column A with full names in the format "FirstName LastName" (rows 2\u201315). - In cell B1, type the header Last Name.
- In cell B2, manually type the last name from A2 (e.g., if A2 is "John Smith", type "Smith"). Press Enter.
- Select cell B3. Press Ctrl+E. Excel will auto-detect the pattern and fill B3:B15 with all last names extracted from column A.
- Click the flash-filled cell if prompted: review the preview. If correct, confirm. If not, correct one example cell and press Ctrl+E again.
- In cell C1, type Middle Initial. In C2, manually type the middle initial from A2 (e.g., "M"). Select C3, press Ctrl+E.
- In cell D1, type Email Address. In D2, manually type a constructed email:
john.smith@university.edu(first.last format). Select D3, press Ctrl+E. Verify the pattern applied consistently.
Part 2: Absolute vs. Relative References — Currency Conversion (35 pts)
- In a new sheet, rename it "Conversion".
- A1: type Currency, B1: type Amount (USD), C1: type Converted (EUR)
- In cell D1, enter the exchange rate as a constant:
0.92(label cell D1 above with "EUR/USD Rate" in C1). - In cells A3:A8, enter these countries/currencies: Euro, British Pound, Japanese Yen, Canadian Dollar, Swiss Franc, Australian Dollar.
- In cells B3:B8, enter these USD amounts: 100, 250, 1000, 500, 750, 2000.
- In cell C3, type the formula:
=B3*$D$1. Note the$locking row and column on D1. This ensures that when you copy this formula down, it always references the single exchange rate cell. - Copy C3 down to C4:C8. Verify each uses the correct amount multiplied by 0.92.
- Now change the exchange rate in D1 to
0.85. Confirm all converted values update automatically (proving the absolute reference works).
Part 3: Mixed References — Tax Rate Table (25 pts)
- In a third sheet, rename it "TaxTable".
- A1: type Tax Rate. In B1, enter the tax rate:
0.0825(8.25% sales tax). - In A3, type Item, B3 type Price, C3 type Tax Amount, D3 type Total with Tax
- In A4:A9, enter: Laptop, Mouse, Keyboard, Monitor, Headset, Webcam.
- In B4:B9, enter prices: 899, 25, 45, 350, 79, 49.
- In C4, type the mixed reference formula:
=B4*$B$1. Copy down to C5:C9. - In D4, type:
=B4+C4. Copy down to D5:D9. - Select range C4:C9. Apply Currency ($#,##0.00) format.
- Select range D4:D9. Apply Currency ($#,##0.00) format.
Submission Criteria
- File named exactly
[your initials]Practice04.xlsx - Sheet1: Name parsing with Flash Fill (columns for Last Name, Middle Initial, Email)
- "Conversion" sheet: Currency conversion using absolute references ($D$1)
- "TaxTable" sheet: Sales tax calculation using mixed/absolute references
- Changing D1 (exchange rate) must update all converted values automatically
- All number formatting applied correctly (currency, decimal places)
- AI Disclosure statement in a note below the TaxTable sheet