FUNCTIONS AND FORMULAS IN
EXCEL
Things to remember
• all formulas start with an =
• All cells are named using a letter and number
corresponding to their column and row. The cell
highlighted below is C5
• Never use literal values in formulas
• The symbol for multiply is * and the symbol for
divide is /
This table shows the number of
muffins sold over a week in a
local café.
The total income column is
blank as well as the total row.
We need to use a formula to
work out the missing values
Where should we start?
The total for the number sold column can be
worked out using the auto sum function.
Highlight the cell where you want your total to
go and then click on the AutoSum button
Make sure the cells that are highlighted are the
ones you want included in the total.
The AutoSum function has added up the
contents of cells B3-B9
We now need to work out the total income from
each flavour of muffin.
There is no set function for multiply, divide,
subtract and add so we must create our own
formula:
For the total income of chocolate chip muffins,
we want to multiply 309 by £2:
The formula is: =B3*C3. The formula is entered
into the cell you want the result to be displayed
The
formula
also
appears in
the
function
bar
Replicate (copy) a formula down
Now, to find the total income for the rest of the muffins in
rows 4-9, replicate (copy) the formula from D3 down as
follows:
Click on the cell with the answer ie D3. Hover the cursor
over the bottom right corner of the cell until a black cross
appears (+)and with then drag the curser down to D9.
+
You can now work out the total income for all
muffins using the Auto
Sum function
Practice task
Copy the data above into a new excel sheet and follow the instructions.
* Prices are not accurate
1. Add a column with the title Difference in
price
2. Work out the difference in price between
Asda and Iceland for each food item
3. Work out which shop provides the best price
if you were to buy all the items on the table.
4. How much would you save?