Excel for Marketing Managers

Calculation Basics

Calculation

Basics

Entering Multiplication Problems

Problems requiring multiplication use the Asterisk key for the multiplication
operator. Type an asterisk using the Shift+8 keys or the Asterisk key on the
numeric keypad.

Yes – it would be a lot easier if they used the X key for multiplication, but then
it could become confusing whether the X was referencing a cell location, as in
X2, or was meant to multiply by 2.

Note:

Once you get used to the arrow key method, it is the absolute fastest way to enter
formulas. The act of moving your hands from the keyboard to the mouse then back
to the keyboard is relatively slow. The process to enter the formula above requires
only nine keystrokes, and many of those are repetitive strokes of the Up arrow.

Figure 20

Multiplication problems use an asterisk