[kenberg]

OK, I thought I would give google docs a try on some collaborative stuff.

I have numbers in columns C,D,F
There is a capitol sigma on the toolbar.
I click on sigma and a menu gives me functions
I want to use Average to average the numbers in the three columns.


How???

It doesn't say. I have watched the recommended video, it goes on at length about how really neat google docs is. I have gone to their FAQ list. Hundreds or thousands of entries with no known sorting procedure. I have tried several things that seem reasonable. They don't work. I have gone to help, it doesn't.

Like everything else with computers, no doubt a moron could do it once he knows the secret. I don't so I can't.

Anyone out there in the know? It's embarrassing to be so unhip but there you have it.

[helene_t]

hi Ken,

The cool thing with google docs is that you can share the document with us and then we can show you, in the document, how to do it!

https://spreadsheets...WtaaGc&hl=en_US

Anyway, go to the cell where you want the average to be shown. Say if the columns are c,d and e and you want the average in column f and the block starts in row 2, go to cell f2 and enter
=average(c2:e2)

Now place the coursor on the cell you just entered, press ctrl-c to copy the formula, mark the destination (for example f3:f99) by moving the cursor to f3 and hold down the shift key why arrowing down to f99, and press ctrl-v to paste the formula.

Or if you want per-column averages, place the cursor in c100 and enter
=average(c2:c99)
and then copy to d100 and e100

Edit: btw you can also just select the cells you want to average with the mouse and click Sigma, then select "AVERAGE".

This post has been edited by helene_t: 2011-July-08, 05:23

[luke warm]

and, unless i'm mistaken, you can just put the cursor in the bottom right of a cell, on the border, (till it turns to a + symbol) and drag down... whatever formula you had in the original cell copies to the cells you dragged to, with the corresponding changes in ranges... that is, assuming i understand what you're asking

[Elianna]

kenberg, on 2011-July-08, 04:43, said:

OK, I thought I would give google docs a try on some collaborative stuff.

I have numbers in columns C,D,F
There is a capitol sigma on the toolbar.
I click on sigma and a menu gives me functions
I want to use Average to average the numbers in the three columns.


How???

It doesn't say. I have watched the recommended video, it goes on at length about how really neat google docs is. I have gone to their FAQ list. Hundreds or thousands of entries with no known sorting procedure. I have tried several things that seem reasonable. They don't work. I have gone to help, it doesn't.

Like everything else with computers, no doubt a moron could do it once he knows the secret. I don't so I can't.

Anyone out there in the know? It's embarrassing to be so unhip but there you have it.

As Helene said, give us a link to a sample doc, and we can help!

Also, so you know, if you use excel, you can just use excel and then transfer what you want to google docs. To allow others to be able to then edit it is a little fiddly, but VERY doable (you have to edit it, and then save, and then others can edit if you allow them to).

[kenberg]

Thanks all.

I need to practice my mouse moves a bit yet but it seems to be working or at least sort of. I use excel once every six months or so and generally find it a pain. Lot's of these things are fine if you use them regularly but obscure if you don't. I once, for example, was decently adequate at unix. I don't much have need of it now and the skill has flown.

The ease of collaboration was the reason for using google docs. This particular doc is not suitable for public access. Of course I could make a sample but I may read some more first.


I searched around on the web about some of the mouse moves on google docs and found that there are (or maybe the correct tense is were) issues, for example
http://www.google.me...12e7c46da&hl=en

Anyway, I was able to ad hoc it this time. I moved the columns to be adjacent, for example. So for the moment I am done but I think I will practice some more just for the hell of it.

Thanks for the comments. I suppose I could write to Sergei with my questions. After all, he was a student in my differential equations class. On second thought, maybe I'll skip that plan.