Excel 2007 Formula And Function Basics
In order to create an Excel formula, begin by typing an equal sign: this distinguishes it from other types of data. A formula consists of groups of expressions. There are three key elements in these expressions: arithmetic operators, such as add and subtract; functions; and references to worksheet.
To create a formula which calculates the total of two of the numbers in a spreadsheet (say 3 and 34), we could simply type "=3 34". When we press the Enter key, we would see the correct result. However, the formula would have no link to the two cells which contain the numbers. If the data in the cells were to change, the formula would still calculate the old result.
Obviously, the best solution is to ensure that our formula contains a reference to the two cells in question. The simplest method of doing this is to click on the first cell having typed the equal sign. Excel then automatically creates a reference to the cell. Next type a plus sign and click the second cell. Excel puts in a reference to the second cell and we then enter the formula either by clicking on the Enter button (on the left of the formula bar) or pressing Enter on the keyboard.
Once your formula contains a reference to these two cells, any time the contents of the cells change, the result produced by formula will be updated.
If this was the only way of performing calculations in Excel, formulas would very quickly become extremely long and very complex. To avoid this, we can use Excel's built-in functions. Functions perform complex mathematical calculations without us having to worry about how the result is arrived at.
For example, let's say that we wanted to total the contents of a hundred different cells. If we relied purely on the plus sign, we would end up creating a formula with a hundred different arguments; in other words, a reference to each an every cell. Instead, we can simply use the SUM function.
To insert a function into a formula, type an equal sign followed by the name of the function. Next, type open parentheses and enter the arguments of the function. The arguments of a function are the parameters required by that function in order to return a result. When using the SUM function, the arguments are the references of the cells contain the numbers we want to total. We can generate these references by clicking or dragging across the cells in question.
When you have entered a reference to all cells containing numbers that we want to total, you can confirm entry of the formula by pressing the Enter key. You don't even need to close the brackets. Excel will close them for you.
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