Lab - 2 Arithmetic Formulas
Lab - 2 Arithmetic Formulas
Lab - 2 Arithmetic Formulas
Arithmetic Formulas
One of the most powerful features of Excel is the ability to calculate numerical
information using formulas. Just like a calculator, Excel can add, subtract, multiply,
and divide. In this module, you know how to use cell references to create simple
formulas.
Excel uses standard operators for formulas, such as a plus sign for addition (+), a minus
sign for subtraction (-), an asterisk for multiplication (*), a forward slash for division (/),
and a caret (^) for exponents.
All formulas in Excel must begin with an equals sign (=). This is because the cell
contains, or is equal to, the formula and the value it calculates.
2. Cell References
While you can create simple formulas in Excel using numbers (for example, =1+1 or
=3*3), most of the time you will use cell addresses to create a formula. This is known
as making a cell reference. Using cell references will ensure that your formulas are
always accurate because you can change the value of referenced cells without having
to rewrite the formula.
In the formula below, cell A3 adds the values of cells A1 and A2 by making cell
references:
When you press Enter, the formula calculates and displays the answer in cell A3:
If the values in the referenced cells change, the formula automatically recalculates:
By combining a mathematical operator with cell references, you can create a variety of
simple formulas in Excel. Formulas can also include a combination of cell references
and numbers, as in the examples below:
2.1. To create a formula:
In the example below, we will use a simple formula and cell references to calculate a
budget.
1. Select the cell that will contain the formula. In the example, select cell D12.
3. Type the cell address of the cell you want to reference first in the formula: cell D10 in
5. Type the cell address of the cell you want to reference second in the formula:
cell D11 in our example. A red border will appear around the referenced cell.
Source: https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/excel/
NOTE: Excel will not always tell you if your formula contains an error, so it's up to you
to check all of your formulas.
Source: https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/excel/
1. Select the cell that will contain the formula. In our example, we'll select cell D4.
5. Select the cell you want to reference second in the formula: cell C4 in our example.
The cell address will appear in the formula.
1. Select the cell containing the formula you want to copy. Click and drag the fill
handle over the cells you want to fill.
2. After you release the mouse, the formula will be copied to the selected cells.
1. Select the cell containing the formula you want to edit. In our example, we'll select
cell D12.
2. Click the formula bar to edit the formula. You can also double-click the cell to view
and edit the formula directly within the cell.
3. A border will appear around any referenced cells. In our example, we'll change the
first part of the formula to reference cell D10 instead of cell D9.
5. The formula will be updated, and the new value will be displayed in the cell.
If you change your mind, you can press the Esc key on your keyboard or click
the Cancel command in the formula bar to avoid accidentally making changes to your
formula.
To show all of the formulas in a spreadsheet, you can hold the Ctrl key and
press ` (grave accent). The grave accent key is usually located in the top-left corner of
the keyboard. You can press Ctrl+` again to switch back to the normal view.
3. Common Functions
There are a variety of functions available in Excel. Here are some of the most common
functions you will use:
=SUM(cell1,cell2,cell3,cell4,….)
Or
=SUM(Cell1:Cell20)
=SUM(A1,A2) means that you want to sum the value in A1 plus the value in A2.
=SUM(Cell1:Cell20) means that you can also insert a “Range” (a matrix) to the formula
to sum the whole bunch of values within that range.
The first part of the range needs to be the upper-left cell, then separated by a double
period “:” and the second part of the range is the bottom-right cell.
=SUM(A1:C20) would mean that you want to sum ALL THE VALUES within that range.
The values of that range are from A1 to A2, from B1 to B20, and from C1 to C20. (60
cells in total)
3.2. AVERAGE FUNCTION
WHAT IS THIS FUNCTION FOR?
Its main purpose is to average a set of values in many cells. It can handle up to 255
values to average per formula.
=AVERAGE(cell1,cell2,cell3,cell4,….)
Or
=AVERAGE(Cell1:Cell20)
=MIN(cell1,cell2,cell3,cell4,….)
Or
=MIN(Cell1:Cell20)
=MAX(cell1,cell2,cell3,cell4,….)
Or
=MAX(Cell1:Cell20)
=COUNT(cell1,cell2,cell3,cell4,….)
Or
=COUNT(Cell1:Cell20)
As you can notice, these functions are already mentioned previously, but with
SUBTOTAL you can have all of them at once
=PRODUCT(cell1,cell2,cell3,cell4,….)
Or
=PRODUCT(Cell1:Cell20)
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
You can multiply more than two values. You can insert the values as independent cells
or as a range.
=SUMPRODUCT(range1,range2,range3…etc)
RANGE 1 RANGE 2
3 8
4 6
5 7
1. The first value of Range 1 will be multiplied by the first value of Range 2 (3*8)
2. The second value of Range 1 will be multiplied by the second of Range 2 (4*6)
3. The third value of Range 1 will be multiplied by the third of Range 2 (5*7)
4. In the end, the formula will SUM the result of all those 3 multiplications. That
would be 83