| You can enter formulas in one of two ways: by typing the entire formula, including the cell addresses, or by typing the formula operators and selecting the cell references. Take a look at both ways. To type a formula, perform the following steps: -
Select the cell where you will place the formula. -
Type an equal sign ( = ) into the cell to begin the formula. -
Enter the appropriate cell references and operators for the formula. Figure 3.2 shows a simple multiplication formula. The formula also appears in the Formula bar as you type it. The cells that you specify in the formula are highlighted with a colored border. Figure 3.2. The formula appears in the cell and in the Formula bar as you type it. -
Press Enter when you have finished the formula, and Excel calculates the result. | | Unwanted Formula If you start to enter a formula and then decide you don't want to use it, you can skip entering the formula by pressing Esc . | To enter a formula by selecting cell addresses, follow these steps: -
Click in the cell where you will place the formula. -
Type the equal sign ( = ) to begin the formula. -
Click the cell whose address you want to appear first in the formula. You can also click a cell in a different worksheet or workbook. The cell address appears in the cell and in the Formula bar. -
Type a mathematical operator after the value to indicate the next operation you want to perform. The operator appears in the cell and in the Formula bar. -
Continue clicking cells and typing operators until the formula is complete. -
Press Enter to accept the formula and have Excel place its results into the cell. | | Error! If ERR appears in a cell, you probably made a mistake somewhere in the formula. Be sure you did not commit one of these common errors: dividing by zero, using a blank cell as a divisor, referring to a blank cell, deleting a cell used in a formula, or including a reference to the same cell in which the formula appears. | | | Natural Language Formulas Excel also enables you to create what are called Natural Language formulas. You can refer to a cell by its column heading name and the corresponding row label. For example, if you had a column labeled Total and a column labeled Discount for each customer, you can write a formula such as =Smith TotalSmith Discount. You are referring to cells by the labels that you have placed in the worksheet rather than the actual cell addresses. | |