Answer:
Formulas and Functions.
An important feature of the Excel spreadsheet program is that it allows you to create formulas that will automatically calculate results. Without formulas, a spreadsheet is not much more than a large table for displaying text.
Formulas
A formula is an equation that makes calculations based on the data in your spreadsheet. Formulas are entered into a cell in your worksheet. They must begin with an equal sign, followed by the addresses of the cells that will be calculated upon, with an appropriate operand placed in between. Once the formula is typed into the cell, the calculation executes immediately. The formula appears in the formula bar.
Basic Functions
Functions can be a more efficient way of performing mathematical operations than formulas. For example, if you wanted to add the values of cells D1 through D10, you would type the formula “=D1+D2+D3+D4+D5+D6+D7+D8+D9+D10”. A shorter way would be to use the SUM function and simply type “=SUM(D1:D10)”. Several other function commands and examples of functions are given in the table below:
Function Example Description
SUM =SUM(A1:A100) Finds the sum of cells A1 through A100
AVERAGE =AVERAGE(B1:B10) Finds the average of cells B1 through B10
MAX=MAX(C1:C100)Returns the highest number from cells C1 through C100MIN=MIN(D1:D100)Returns the lowest number from cells D1 through D100SQRT=SQRT(D10)Finds the square root of the value in cell D10TODAY=TODAY()Returns the current date (leave the parentheses empty)
