Page 219 - DCAP101_BASIC_COMPUTER_SKILLS

Basic Computer Skills

Notes Operators in Excel

Excel lets you use a variety of operators in your formulas. Table below lists the operators
that Excel recognizes.

Excel’s Built-in Functions

Excel provides a bewildering number of built-in worksheet functions that can be used in
formulae. These include common functions such as SUM, AVERAGE, and SQRT as well as
functions designed for special purposes such as statistics or engineering.
Using the AutoSum Tool

The Sum function is probably the most often used function and the AutoSum tool
makes it very easy to enter SUM function onto worksheet. Let us consider the following
example:
Enter the following data into a blank worksheet.
Select cell A5.
Click on the AutoSum tool on the Standard toolbar.

Press J (or click on the Enter box in the formula bar).

Entering Formulae
You can enter formulae in cells in the same way as you enter normal data values. There
are basically two ways to enter a formula into a cell : Enter it manually or enter it by
pointing to cell references.

Entering Formulae Manually

Select the cell in which you want the formula to be located and begin typing.
Simply type an equal sign (=) followed by the formula.
Use all the normal editing keys while a formula.

Enter Formula by Pointing

To enter the formula =A1+A2 into A3, follow these steps:
Move the cell pointer to cell A3
Type an equal sign (=) to begin the formula.

Click on cell A1.
Type a plus sign (+).
Click on cell A2.
Press Enter to end the formula

Excel includes the Formula Palette feature that the user can use while entering or editing
formulae. To access the Formula Palette, click on the Edit Formula button in the edit line.

Reference Operators

Formulae can refer to cells in other worksheets. Excel uses a special type of notation to
handle types of references.

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