CS 9

Name:

Module 6 – Basic Excel Formula and Functions

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. Recognize the different formula and functions of MS Excel;

2. Identify the types and purpose of MS Excel formulas;
3. Create more complex formulas.

EXPLORE ACTIVITY

Identify the arithmetic operators. Write your answer on the space provided.

IT’S TIME TO LEARN

The distinguishing feature of a spreadsheet program such as Excel is that it allows you
to create mathematical formulas and execute functions. Otherwise, it is not much more
than a large table displaying text.

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Formulas can be very simple, very complex, or somewhere in between. Excel, however,
must know when you are entering a formula in a cell, after all, how can it discern the
difference between numbers, words, and formulas unless you specifically tell it?

And one other thing, you’ll also need to understand some basic maths theories before
proceeding to more complex formulas.

Formulas and Functions

In Excel, the calculation can be specified using either a formula or a function.

 Formulas are self-defined instructions for performing calculations.

 In contrast, functions are pre-defined formulas that come with Excel.

In either case, all formulas and functions are entered in a cell and must begin with an
equal sign “=”.

After the equal sign, a formula includes the addresses of the cells whose values will be
manipulated with appropriate operands placed in between. The operands are the
standard arithmetic operators:

Practice Exercise: Enter the following information into a blank worksheet (ignore any formatting) in columns A, B, and C, and in rows
1 through 6. Then calculate the Total Cost for the the Fall semester using a formula to add up the individual Costs (Tuition, Housing,
etc.).

The most logical solution would be to type the formula ’=B2+B3+B4+B5’ into cell B6.

You can also enter formulas by using the point mode, where you either click on a cell with your left mouse
button or you use the arrow keys.
. To enter ’=B2+B3+B4+B5’ into cell B6 using the point:
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– Left click on cell B6 to make it active.
– Type ’=’.
– Use the up arrow key to move to cell B5, or left click on cell B5.
– Type ’+’.
– Use the up arrow or mouse to add cells B4, B3, and B2 in the same fashion.
– Press Enter when you are finished entering the formula.

You’ll notice that the calculation executes immediately after the formula is typed into the cell and entered
by pressing either the Enter or Tab key or by clicking the check mark in the formula bar.
. The result of the calculation is displayed in the cell (i.e., in B6).
. The formula itself is now visible in the formula bar.
What happens if you enter ’B2+B3+B4+B5’ without the leading equal sign ’=’ into cell B6?
. REMEMBER: All formulas and functions must begin with a ’=’.
. The text of the formula or function will be displayed in the cell if you do not use an ’=’ and the
calculation will not be executed.
IMPORTANT: Why use cell references (i.e., cell addresses; e.g., B2 or C5) in formulas instead of the
actual values of the cells (e.g., 10000 or 700)? The answer: automatic calculation. Let’s illustrate the concept
of automatic calculation with a practice exercise:
! Practice Exercise: Let’s make a change to the Costs for the Fall and Spring semester spreadsheet and note
how Excel automatically recalculates the formulas and functions we have already entered.
. Change the amount entered in cell C2 from ’10000’ to ’15000’.
. Notice how all the calculations referencing cell C2 automatically changed.

To reiterate the use of cell addresses in formulas and functions, imagine we had constructed our formulas
and functions by typing the actual numbers contained in the cells instead of the cell addresses. That
is, to calculate the Total Cost for the Fall semester we had entered the formula ’=10000+5000+1000+1500’.
What would happen if we changed the amount entered in cell C2 from ’10000’ to ’15000’ as suggested above?
Obviously, our calculation defined by our formula would not automatically change, and we would have to edit
the formula by hand. Imagine if the cell we modified was referenced by ten separate formulas or functions.
That would be a lot of editing.
In summary, automatic calculation is activated, Excel automatically recalculates the result of any formulas
as cell entries change. Automatic calculation also applies to functions, which we’ll be covering in the next
section.
Side note: You can check to make sure automatic calculation is turned on:
. Select Tools from the Options drop menu.

SECTION 2. FORMULAS AND FUNCTIONS 4

. Click on the Calculation tab.
. Select Automatic if it is not already selected.
. Click OK.

Functions differ from regular formulas in that, after the equal sign, you supply the cell addresses but not
the arithmetic operators. Functions perform calculations by using specific values, called arguments, in a
particular order called syntax. When using a function, remember the following:
. Use an equal sign to begin the function.
. Specify the function name.
. Enclose all of the function’s arguments within parentheses.
. Use a comma to separate the function’s individual arguments.

Practice Exercise: In the Costs for the Fall and Spring semester spreadsheet, calculate the Average Cost
of Tuition for the Fall and Spring semesters using the AVERAGE function.
. The most logical solution would be to type ’=AVERAGE(B2, C2)’ into cell D2.
– The equal sign begins the function.
– AVERAGE is the name of the function.
– B2, and C2 are the arguments.
– Parentheses enclose all of the arguments.
– Commas separate each of the arguments.

Reference operators refer to a cell or a group of cells. There are two main types of reference operators:
1. Range:
. Refers to all of the cells between and including the reference.

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. Consists of two cell addresses separated by a colon.
. EXAMPLE: ’A1:A3’ includes cells A1, A2, and A3.
. EXAMPLE: ’A1:C3’ includes cells A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3, C1, C2, and C3.
2. Union:
. Includes two or more references.
. Consists of two or more cell addresses separated by a comma.
. EXAMPLE: ’A7, B8, C9’ refers to cells A7, B8, and C9.
. EXAMPLE: ’A7, B8:D9, E4’ refers to cells A7, B8, B9, C8, C9, D8, D9 and E4.
In the function practice exercise, we used a union reference when we typed ’=AVERAGE(B2, C2)’ in cell
D2, but we could have used a range reference instead: ’=AVERAGE(B2:C2)’.

Autosum
You can use the Autosum icon on the standard toolbar, which automatically adds the contents of a cluster
of adjacent cells.
. Select the cell that the sum will appear in that is outside the cluster of cells whose values will be added.
. Click the Autosum button (Greek letter sigma, _).
. Highlight the group of cells that will be summed.
. Press the Enter key on the keyboard or click the green check mark on the formula bar.
! Practice Exercise: In the Costs for the Fall and Spring semester spreadsheet, calculate the Total Cost
for the the Spring semester using the Autosum icon.
. Click on cell C6 to activate it.
. Click the Autosum button.
. Highlight cells C2 through C5.
. Press Enter.

A Function instead of a Formula

Functions can be a more efficient way of performing mathematical operations than formulas. Specifically, in
many cases, a function will simplify formulas that you can type in manually, such as average or sum.
. EXAMPLE: If you wanted to add the values of cells D1 through D10, you could type the formula
’=D1+D2+D3+D4+D5+D6+D7+D8+D9+D10’, or a shorter way would be to use the SUM function
and simply type ’=SUM(D1:D10)’.
The following table contains the definitions and examples of several other available functions:

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 Order of Operations

As you can imagine you can define a complex formula by hand or by combining multiple functions into a
complex formula using the mentioned standard arithmetic operators.
When you perform calculations in Excel, be careful of precedence. Excel follows the standard order of
operations when it performs all calculations:
1. Parentheses: Computations enclosed in parentheses are performed first.
2. Exponents: Computations involving exponents are performed next.
3. Multiplication and Division: Performed in the order which they occur (from left to right).
4. Addition and Subtraction: Performed in the order which they occur (left to right).

In general, calculations are performed from left to right, with multiplication and divisions performed before
addition and subtraction.
! Practice Exercise: Let’s enter a dummy formula into cell A8 in the Costs for the Fall and Spring semester
spreadsheet.
. Type ’=3+3+12/2*4’ into cell A8.
– Excel divides 12 by 2, multiplies the answer by 4, adds 3, and then adds another 3, which results
in 30.
. Edit the formula in cell A8 to ’=(3+3+12)/2*4’.
– Excel adds 3 plus 3 plus 12, divides the answer by 2 and then multiplies the result by 4, which
results in 36.

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 DEEPEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Activity 3. Directions: Read and choose the correct answer from the word poll.
Write your answers on your TLE notebook.

bones, ivory Modern Era Industrial Revolution

19th century Medieval Era

1. This revolution mechanized the manufacturing processes using steam

power.
2. During this time, the Byzantines dressed themselves with richly
patterned, embroidered cloths draped over a tunica, the replacement of
the toga.
3. During the century of this era, people saw the rise of the ruff (ruffles) and
the popularity of needle lace.
4. When was the sewing machine was invented?
5. What were found in some 19,000 years ago, these were the evidence of
needles.

TRANSFER YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Activity 4. Direction: Answer the following questions. Write your answers on your
TLE notebook.

1. What are the different kinds of era in dressmaking?

2. What are dresses made in early Greece and Roman?
3. What are the characteristics of a good dressmaker?

Activity 5. Essay.

1. What is the importance of dressmaking? (10 pts.)

Congratulations! You are done with your module.

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” - Philippians 4:13

Subject Teacher: Ms. Hazel D. Aseñas, LPT

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