Entering Formulas in Excel

This article provides a detailed guide on how to input formulas and some basic functions in Excel 2013.

For your convenience in future tasks, it is advisable to thoroughly understand the following:

1. Entering formulas starting with an equal sign.

To input formulas in Excel, you must start with an equal sign; otherwise, Excel will interpret it as a string of characters. To input a formula, follow these steps:

Step 1: Type the equal sign at the cell where you want to apply the formula.

Step 2: Enter the formula you want to calculate for that cell's value.

Step 3: Press Enter to see the result.

If you want to review the formula of a cell -> click the mouse on that cell, and the formula will be displayed on the formula bar.

For example, calculating the monthly revenue for a business:

- In the cell where you want to calculate, enter the formula: =D6+D7+D8+D9+D10

- Press Enter -> the result returned is:

2. Explore the formula for summing values in a column.

When dealing with a sum formula involving multiple terms, using a simple plus sign can be time-consuming and inaccurate. Instead, you can utilize the built-in Excel function for summing values in a column.

Step 1: Place the cursor at the cell where you want to calculate the sum -> Go to the Home -> Editing -> AutoSum -> Sum tab.

Step 2: Press Enter -> the formula is now in cell D11

Step 3: Press Enter -> the returned result is:

3. Opt for Copying a Formula Rather Than Creating a New One.

- In specific cases, especially with long and complex formulas, copying the formula is more optimal than creating a new one. To copy a formula, follow these steps:

Step 1: Click on the cell containing the formula to be copied -> move the mouse to the bottom right corner of that cell until the mouse cursor turns into a small bold black cross:

Step 3: Edit the formula to suit the requirements.

- If the cell containing the formula is not adjacent to the cell you want to copy the formula to, you can use the Ctrl + C key combination. When pasting, choose a valid Paste type to maintain the old formula of the copied cell.

4. Explore Cells in Excel 2013.

In Excel, to identify a cell, use the row and column indices, where the row index is numbered sequentially, and the column index follows the alphabetical order. The intersection of the row and column is a cell, also known as a cell. Refer to the information describing cells:

5. Update the Formula Results.

When using a formula to calculate a series of data in cells, if there are changes in the values of the cells, the formula automatically updates the changed values.

For example, with revenue for the first 5 months as follows:

- In February, due to product defects, returns reduced revenue to 456,700 -> adjust the revenue for February:

- Press Enter -> the total revenue for the 5 months automatically updates according to the changes in February's revenue:

6. Use the Sum Formula for Select Values in a Column.

In cases where the values to be summed are not contiguous -> you can use the following method while still utilizing the Sum function:

For example, calculate the total revenue for odd months:

Step 1: In the cell where you want to calculate, enter the formula: =SUM(D6,D8,D10). Note that each cell value in the column to be summed is treated as a parameter of the Sum function and separated by commas:

Step 2: Press Enter -> the returned result is:

7. Use other simple formulas in Excel 2013.

7.1 Calculate the average value.

Excel 2013 supports some simple calculation functions right on the toolbar. For example, quickly calculate the average revenue for 5 months as follows:

Step 1: Click at the cell where you want to calculate the average value -> go to the Home -> Editing -> AutoSum -> Average tab.

Step 2: After selecting Average, the result is:

Step 3: Press Enter -> the average revenue for 5 months is:

7.2 Find the Maximum or Minimum Value.

- Similar to finding the average value, finding the maximum or minimum value follows a similar process. For example, find the maximum revenue in 5 months:

Step 1: Click at the cell where you want to calculate the maximum value -> go to the Home -> Editing -> AutoSum -> Max tab.

Step 2: Press Enter -> the maximum revenue in 5 months is:

In the case of finding the minimum revenue, do the same by changing the selection from Max to Min.

8. Print Formulas for Easy Recall.

If you need to remember complex formulas, you can print them out for quick reference. To do that, follow these steps:

- Prerequisite: Your workbook must contain those formulas to be able to print them.

- Proceed: Go to FORMULAS -> Formula Auditing -> Show Formulas.

After selecting Show Formulas, all formulas in the workbook are displayed, and you can print them normally:

9. Peculiar Signs on Spreadsheets.

These are common errors often encountered; pay attention, folks:

10. Explore Other Formulas.

- Excel supports many useful formulas for calculations. To discover more formulas, do the following: Go to the Home -> Editing -> AutoSum -> More Function tab.

- The dialog box appears; explore additional formulas in the Select Function section.

Above is the guide on how to input formulas and some simple formulas frequently used in Excel 2013.

Wishing you all success!