Chapter 7. How Do I Perform Calculations in Numbers Spreadsheets?

How Do I Perform Calculations in Numbers Spreadsheets?

Performing calculations is a vital part of most spreadsheets, and Numbers puts phenomenal power at your fingertips with built-in functions you can insert in moments. When these aren't enough, you can build your own formulas that perform custom calculations, adjust them by telling Numbers the order in which to evaluate them, and use the Formula List window to keep tabs on what's where. When you build a table, you can save it for reuse; and when you create an entire spreadsheet document that you want to use again, you can turn it into a template and use it directly from the Template Chooser.

Understanding Formulas

Inserting Functions

Creating Your Own Formulas

Understanding Operators and How Numbers Evaluates Them

Checking Your Formulas with the Formula List

Creating Your Own Reusable Tables

Creating a Template from a Spreadsheet

Understanding Formulas

To perform a calculation in Numbers, you enter a formula in a cell. The formula gives the instructions for the calculation you want to perform. The cell containing the formula is called the formula cell.

Instead of displaying the text of the formula in the formula cell, Numbers displays the formula's result, the number or other value it produces. For example, if you enter the formula =SUM(B3:B5) in cell B6, telling Numbers to add the values in the range B3:B5, Numbers displays the ...

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