1. Excel Lesson 4 Entering Worksheet Formulas

2. What are Formulas?
Formula—equations used to calculate values in a cell
Each formula begins with an equal sign (=).
Formula results appear in the cell.
The formula itself appears in the formula bar.
For example, if you enter the formula =8+6 in cell B3, the value 14 appears in the cell, and the formula =8+6 appears in the formula bar when cell B3 is the active cell.

3. Entering a Formula A worksheet formula consists of two components:
An operand is a number or cell reference used in formulas.
An operator tells Excel what to do with the operands.
For example, in the formula =B3+5, B3 and 5 are operands. The plus sign (+) is an operator.

4. Operation Operator Addition + Subtraction - Multiplication * Division
Formulas
Operation
Addition
Subtraction
Multiplication
Division
Exponentiation
Operator + - * / ^

5. Order of Evaluation 2. Exponentiation Positive or negative
1. Parentheses first
2. Exponentiation
Positive or negative
Multiplication or division
Addition or subtraction
3. Left to right

6. Editing Formulas
If you enter a formula with an incorrect structure, a dialog box appears, explaining the error and providing a possible correction. You can accept the correction or choose to correct the formula yourself.
Press F2 or double-click the cell to edit.

7. Relative Cell References
Relative cell references adjust to a different location when copied or moved.
Ex) =A3+A4

8. Absolute Cell References
Absolute cell references do not change when copied or moved. To create an absolute cell reference, insert a dollar sign($) before the column letter or row number of the cell you want to stay the same.
Ex) =$A$3+$A$4

9. Mixed Cell References
Mixed cell references contain both relative and absolute cell references. The ones with a $ will not change; the ones without a $ will change.
Ex =A$3+A$4
Ex =$A3+A$4
Ex =$A$3+A4

10. Creating Formulas Quickly
To use the point-and-click method, simply click the cell instead of typing the cell reference.
Sum button—use to add a long column of numbers
To use the Sum button, click the cell where you want the total to appear, and then click the Sum button. An outline appears around the range Excel selects. If you want to add numbers in a different range, drag to select those cells. Press the Enter key to complete the formula. The active cell displays the sum.

12. Previewing Calculations
Whenever you select a range, the status bar shows the results of common calculations for the selected cells. These summary calculations appear without your having to enter a formula.
By default, Average, Count, and Sum appear in the status bar. You can also display Numerical Count, Minimum, and Maximum.

13. Showing Formulas in the Worksheet
When creating a worksheet with many formulas, you may find it simpler to organize formulas and detect formula errors when all formulas are visible.
Formulas tab>Formula Auditing Group>Show Formulas button
Ctrl + ~ (upper left of keyboard)
The formulas replace the formula results in the worksheet.

15. Calculating Formulas Manually
When you need to edit a worksheet with many formulas, you can specify manual calculation, which lets you determine when Excel calculates the formulas.
The Formulas tab on the Ribbon contains all the buttons you need when working with manual calculations. To switch to manual calculation, click the Calculation Options button in the Calculation group on the Formulas tab, and then click Manual.