Excel 2019 Bible

207

C H A P T E R

9

Introducing Formulas and

Functions

IN THIS CHAPTER

Understanding formula basics

Entering formulas and functions into your worksheets

Understanding how to use cell references in formulas

Correcting common formula errors

Using advanced naming techniques

Getting tips for working with formulas

F

ormulas are what make a spreadsheet program so useful. If it weren’t for formulas, a spread-

sheet would simply be a fancy word processing document that has great support for tabular

information.

You use formulas in your Excel worksheets to calculate results from the data stored in the work-

sheet. When data changes, the formulas calculate updated results with no extra effort on your part.

This chapter introduces formulas and functions and helps you to get up to speed with this impor-

tant element.

Understanding Formula Basics

A formula consists of special code entered into a cell. It performs a calculation of some type and

returns a result that is displayed in the cell. Formulas use a variety of operators and worksheet

functions to work with values and text. The values and text used in formulas can be located in

other cells, which makes changing data easy and gives worksheets their dynamic nature. For exam-

ple, you can see multiple scenarios quickly by changing the data in a worksheet and letting your

formulas do the work.

A formula always begins with an equal sign and can contain any of these elements:

■ Mathematical operators, such as + (for addition) and * (for multiplication)

■ (^) Cell references (including named cells and ranges)
■ Values or text
■ (^) Worksheet functions (such as SUM and AVERAGE)
Excel® 2019 Bible, First Edition. Michael Alexander, Dick Kusleika and John Walkenbach.
© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.