Rows, Columns and the Grid

Let's zoom out from single cells. A row is a horizontal line of cells that all share the same number: row 3 contains A3, B3, C3 and so on, straight across. A column is a vertical line sharing the same letter: column B runs B1, B2, B3, … from top to bottom.

Moving around the grid is easy: click any cell to jump straight to it, or use the arrow keys to step to a neighboring cell, up, down, left or right.

Here's a preview of something you'll use constantly later: a range. A range names a whole block of cells at once, using the first cell, a colon, and the last cell:

A1:A3   means  A1 through A3   (A1, A2, A3)
B1:B4   means  B1 through B4   (4 cells down column B)
A1:C1   means  A1 through C1   (3 cells across row 1)

Read the colon as "through". You don't need to do anything with ranges yet, just recognize the shape, because when formulas arrive, ranges are how you'll say "all of these cells at once".