Chapter 11. Working with Formulas and Functions

Understanding Formulas

You can use formulas to perform all kinds of calculations on your Excel data. You can build formulas using mathematical operators, values, and cell references. For example, you can add the contents of a column of monthly sales totals to determine the cumulative sales total. If you are new to writing formulas, this task explains all of the basics required to build your own formulas in Excel.

Formula Structure

Ordinarily, when you write a mathematical formula, you write the values and the operators, followed by an equal sign, such as 2+2=. In Excel, formula structure works a bit differently. All Excel formulas begin with an equal sign (=), such as =2+2. The equal sign immediately ...

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