This week I learned how to use the formula function on excel. The formulas are one of excels main features and allow for accurate data and time saved for you!
Formulas can be thought of as an equation because they contain multiple steps that lead to a final output. To enter a formula into excel you can start by putting in an equal sign (=). For example, within a cell, you can put =6+9 and it will give you the output. Excel sees this equals sign and recognizes that you are giving it a formula to calculate. Here is a photo of me practicing this function.
There is more to these formulas than just numbers and addition or subtraction, they can also contain one or more functions. A function is made up of three parts: 1. The name – used to describe what it does, these names are built into excel and there is a SUM function, which adds multiple values together, an AVERAGE function, which averages together multiple values and many more. 2. The arguments – the values you are combining to get your output ex. If you want to find the sum of 7 and 4 the arguments of the function are the numbers 7 and 4. 3. The output – the last part of the function – this is what you get from the calculation – the final product/output. When a formula is entered in a cell it shows the output, so to see the formula you can click on the cell and it will show you the formula in the formula bar.
To see all the formulas that are offered, you can click on the formulas tab and then go to insert where you can choose what category you need and they are given a large list of formulas.
Select the cell where you want the cell total for and write in the function you want, for example, =SUM to add the values drag from the first cell to the last cell for it to add up those values.
The formula function on excel is a super helpful tool for budgeting and adding up sales. Formulas are a great tool to help you save time and increase the accuracy of your data. There are many formulas, so I just learned how to use the basic ones that I thought would be most important and useful for me.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for next weeks post!
Resources:
https://www.deskbright.com/excel/how-to-use-excel/
^ Helpful tool to learn the basics of excel and has a good video along with it
elissahalliday 