ExcelFormulas
Formulas perform some type of calculation then display the result. Formulas may contain: 
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Operators Cell References Values or text (Constants) Functions Formulas always start with an = sign Operators used in Formulas 
Arithmetic * / + ‐ ^ & % 
Logical < > >= <= <> Functions Functions are pre‐defined mathematical operations that return an answer. 
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Greatly simplify formulas =(A1+A2+A3+A4+A5+A6+A7+a8+A9+A10)/10 could be =Average(A1:A10) Perform calculations that otherwise could not be done =Max(A1:A10) Eliminate manual editing =Proper(A1) Perform conditional operations =IF(A10<10000,A1*5%, A1*7.5%) Entering cell ranges into formulas 
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Enter Manually – type the cell reference directly Enter by pointing – start typing the formula, then use the mouse to select the cell or range you want to reference. Entering functions into formulas 
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Use the dropdown list that appears when you start typing the function name Select from function library group on the Formulas tab in the ribbon. Use the Insert Function dialog box (click the icon on the Formulas tab, or press Shift‐F3 Cell References 3 types of references 
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Relative – The row and column references change when you copy the formula to another cell. The references are actually offsets from the current cell. Absolute – The row and column references do not change. The reference is to an actually cell address. Mixed – Either the row or column is relative, the other is absolute. Use $ to indicate Absolute. Examples: 
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=$C$2 is an absolute reference to cell C2. If you copy this formula to a different cell, it will still say $C$2 =$C3 is a mixed reference. If you copy this formula it will always refer to column C, but the row may change. =C$3 is a mixed reference. If If you copy this formula it will always refer to row 3 but the column may change. While typing the formula, press F4 to cycle between relative, absolute, and mixed reference. Referencing Ranges A range is a rectangular group of cells. The range is referenced by the upper left corner and the lower right corner separated by a colon ( : ). Examples – 
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=SUM(A1:C9) – adds all the cells in the rectangular area with corners as A1 and C9 =AVERAGE(A1:A10) – finds the average of cells 1‐10 in column A =MAX(A:A) – find the largest value in column A Referencing cells on other worksheets Use the format Sheetname!cell address Examples‐ 
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=Sheet1!C3 =AVERAGE(Data!A1:A10) =C3*‘FY 2008’!A12 ‐ Use apostrophe if sheet name has spaces in it. =[‘Q:\Budget\2008 Budget.xls’]Sheet1!$C$9 ‐ Use square brackets to refer to a different workbook file. Formula Quick Tips 1. Don’t hard‐code values. When you create a formula, avoid using constant values. Instead, put that value in a cell and reference it. For example, if you want to calculate sales tax, you may be tempted to enter =A1*.085 but this makes it difficult to modify if the tax rate changes. Instead you could put the sales tax amount in a cell, then reference the cell using an absolute reference. =A1*$C$3 2. Enter the results of a formula – you can enter a formula and instead of pressing Enter, press F9. This will put the value returned by the formula into the current cell, rather than the formula. 3. Make an exact copy of a formula – If you copy a cell with a formula, the relative cell addresses will update. Instead copy the text of the formula so it doesn’t update the references: 1. Double click the cell (or press F2) to get into Edit Mode. 2. Drag the mouse from one end of the formula to the other (or if the cursor is at the end of the formula press shift‐Home) to highlight the entire formula. 3. Press Ctrl‐C to copy the formula to the clipboard 4. Press Esc to get out of Edit Mode 5. Select a destination cell to copy to 6. Press Ctrl‐V to paste the formula. You can also convert the formula to text by putting an apostrophe ( ‘ ) before the equal sign at the beginning of the formula. Copy the cell as usual then remove the apostrophe. 4. Convert Formulas to values. If you have a range of formulas that always produce the same values, or whose values you want to copy without copying the formula that got them use Paste Values: 1. Select the range of cells containing formulas, then copy to the clipboard. 2. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group on the far left of the ribbon, click the small down arrow under the Paste icon, and choose Paste Values 5. Use Names – You can use the Name manager to name constants, ranges, and formulas. 1. In the Defined Names group on the Formulas tab, choose Define Name 2. Enter the Name 3. In the Refers to box, delete the contents and enter a value 4. Click OK