Case 9-2
Once each month, the accounting staff meets in the conference room for a catered lunch and a discussion of ways to improve efficiency using the department's software tools. Today's meeting covers a few of Excel's advanced features. As the senior accountant and most experienced Excel user in the department, you have volunteered to mediate the discussion.
-Mel, who develops budgets and financial forecasts, asks you to explain the difference between using Goal Seek and Solver to find solutions to complex worksheet projections. You tell Mel that ____.
A) he should forget about using Goal Seek or Solver; he needs to focus on using the trial and error method instead
B) the Solver feature finds a solution by manipulating a single variable while Goal Seek uses multiple constrained variables to find a solution
C) a better approach to finding solutions to complex worksheet projections is to set data validation rules for each cell in a worksheet
D) the Goal Seek feature finds a solution by manipulating a single variable while Solver uses multiple constrained variables to find a solution

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The correct answer is D. The Goal Seek feature finds a solution by manipulating a single variable while Solver uses multiple constrained variables to find a solution. Option A is incorrect because trial and error is not a reliable method for finding solutions to complex worksheet projections. Option B is incorrect because Solver manipulates multiple variables, not just one. Option C is incorrect because data validation rules are used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of input data, not to find solutions.

Case 9-2 Once Each Month, the Accounting Staff Meets in the Conference