| Formulas are used to calculate the values of data entered into other cells in your spreadsheet. A formula can consist of numbers, mathematical operators, and the contents of other cells (referred to by the cell reference). Note The cell reference is simply the location of a particular cell. Each cell is referenced by the intersection of a column and row; thus, the top-left cell is called A1 (for column A, row 1). The cell reference for the current cell is always listed in the Reference area of the workspace. You construct a formula from the following elements: An equals sign (=); this = sign is necessary at the start of each formula One or more specific numbers and/or One or more cell references A mathematical operator (such as + or -); this is needed if your formula contains more than one cell reference or number
The best way to get used to formulas is to look at a few. That said, Table 8 shows a few representative formulas: Table 8. Representative Google Spreadsheets FormulasFormula | Result |
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=2 | Places the numerical value 2 in the selected cell | =A1 | Places the value of cell A1 in the selected cell | =A1*2 | Places the value of cell A1 multiplied by 2 in the selected cell | =A1/2 | Places the value of cell A1 divided by 2 in the selected cell | =A1+A2 | Places the value of cell A1 plus the value of cell A2 in the selected cell | =(A1+A2)/2 | Places the value of cell A1 plus the value of cell A2, all divided by 2, in the selected cell |
Note that Google Spreadsheets formulas can contain common algebraic expressions and follow common algebraic conventions and logic. Table 9 lists the accepted operators for Google Spreadsheets formulas. Table 9. Accepted Operators for Google Spreadsheets FormulasOperator | Description |
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+ | Addition | - | Subtraction | * | Multiplication | / | Division | ^ | Exponentiation (to the power of) | = | Equal to | > | Greater than | >= | Greater than or equal to | < | Less than | <= | Less than or equal to | <> | Not equal to | % | Percentage |
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