Entering information in an Excel spreadsheet is easy. First, place your mouse pointer over any cell and click on it. You’ll immediately see a thick, dark border surrounding the cell. This means the cell is the active cell in the spreadsheet and is ready to receive some data. Next, type in a number or some text, and press the [Enter] key. What you typed now resides in that cell’s location, and the cell below becomes the active cell.
Want to edit your entry? Click on the cell again and press the [F2] key; it’s one of the many function keys at the top of your keyboard. Now press the [Backspace] key. Do it again. Observe the contents of the cell being erased one letter at a time. To get rid of the entire entry in one shot, click on the cell and press the [Delete] key. See? All gone.
Creating Formulas and Functions
An Excel formula is a calculation that’s placed in a cell using mathematical operators:
+ (addition)
- (subtraction)
* (multiplication)
/ (division)
^ (exponentiation)
= (equal sign)
( ) (parenthesis)
All formulas must begin with an equal sign. For example, this formula adds the contents of G46 and U23:
=G46+U23
You can also combine operators to create more complex formulas. The following formula multiplies the sum of the values contained in G46 and U23 by five and divides the result by 2:
=(5 * (G46+U23))/2
A function is a little computer program that performs a calculation or specific task. And Excel has plenty of functions available. Use them in your formulas to save you some valuable time. Many functions require arguments, which are just values you give to the function so it will work properly. To use a function in a formula, type the function’s name and place any required arguments in parenthesis.
Given a range extending from A23 to G89, here are a few examples of how to use some of Excel’s most common functions:
Adds all of the values within the range: =SUM(A23:G89)
Averages all of the values within the range: =AVERAGE(A23:G89)
Finds the largest value within the range: =MAX(A23:G89)
Finds the smallest value within the range: =MIN(A23:G89)
Returns the number of values within the range: =COUNT(A23:G89)