Page 219 - Excel 2007 Bible

16_044039 ch11.qxp 11/21/06 11:04 AM Page 176
Part II
Working with Formulas and Functions
After you enter a formula, the cell displays the calculated result of the formula. The formula itself appears in
the Formula bar when you select the cell, however.
Following are a few examples of formulas:
Multiplies 150 times 0.05. This formula uses only values and isn’t all that
=150*.05
useful because it always returns the same result. You may as well just enter
the value 7.5 into the cell.
Adds the values in cells A1 and A2.
=A1+A2
Subtracts the value in the cell named Expenses from the value in the cell
=Income–Expenses
named Income.
Adds the values in the range A1:A12.
=SUM(A1:A12)
Compares cell A1 with cell C12. If they are identical, the formula returns
=A1=C12
TRUE; otherwise it returns FALSE.
Formulas always begin with the equal sign so that Excel can distinguish them from text.
NOTE
NOTE
Using operators in formulas
Excel lets you use a variety of operators in your formulas. Operators are symbols that indicate the type of math-
ematical operation you want the formula to perform. Table 11.1 lists the operators that Excel recognizes. In
addition to these, Excel has many built-in functions that enable you to perform additional calculations.
TABLE 11.1
Operators Used in Formulas
Operator Name
+ Addition
– Subtraction
* Multiplication
/ Division
^ Exponentiation
& Concatenation
= Logical comparison (equal to)
> Logical comparison (greater than)
< Logical comparison (less than)
>= Logical comparison (greater than or equal to)
<= Logical comparison (less than or equal to)
<> Logical comparison (not equal to)
You can, of course, use as many operators as you need to perform the desired calculation.
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