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Lab 1 - Basic Things About Functions

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Mojica Calague
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19 views

Lab 1 - Basic Things About Functions

Uploaded by

Mojica Calague
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1. What is a Function?

A function is a predefined formula that performs calculations using specific values in


order. Formulas in Excel are useful in performing various mathematical, statistical, and
logical operations. You can type in a formula (though you must be sure it is exactly
right), or you can use Excel's preset formulas called functions. Excel includes many
common functions that can quickly find the sum, average, count, maximum value,
and minimum value for a range of cells.

Note: If you type in the formula, you must start with an equal sign, so Excel knows that
the data in the cell is a formula. After the =, what comes next depends on what you are
trying to do. If you are multiplying numbers, type in the appropriate numbers and
mathematical symbol (* for multiply).

2. How Can You Use Functions in Excel?

When you open an Excel spreadsheet, you will find the "Formulas" section, and then
you have 2 options:

 Option A:  Click the "Insert Function" icon and choose the function
 Option B:  Click in the "Category" you want (Recently used, Financial, Logical,
Text) and then choose the Function.

3. The Parts of a Function

To use functions correctly, you will need to understand the different parts of a function and how
to create arguments to calculate values and cell references.

A function must be written in a specific way to work correctly, this is called the syntax. The
basic syntax for a function is the equals sign (=), the function name (SUM, for example), and
one or more arguments. Arguments contain the information you want to calculate. The function
in the example below would add the values of the cell range A1:A20.

4. Working with Arguments


Arguments can refer to both individual cells and cell ranges and must be enclosed
within parentheses. You can include one argument or multiple arguments, depending on
the syntax required for the function.

For example, the function =AVERAGE(B1:B9) would calculate the average of the


values in the cell range B1:B9. This function contains only one argument.

A comma must separate multiple arguments. For example, the function =SUM(A1:A3,
C1:C2, E1) will add the values of all of the cells in the three arguments.

5. Creating a Function

There are a variety of functions available in Excel. Here are some of the most common
functions you will use:

 SUM: This function adds all of the values of the cells in the argument.
 AVERAGE: This function determines the average of the values included in the
argument. It calculates the sum of the cells and then divides that value by the
number of cells in the argument.
 COUNT: This function counts the number of cells with numerical data in the
argument. This function is useful for quickly counting items in a cell range.
 MAX: This function determines the highest cell value included in the argument.
 MIN: This function determines the lowest cell value included in the argument.

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