Ten Minute Guide to Excel 97

Entering Numbers

Valid numbers can include the numeric characters 0–9 and any of these special characters: + – / . , ( ) $ %. This means that you can include commas, decimal points, dollar signs, percent signs, and parentheses in the values that you enter.

Although you can include punctuation when you type your entries, you may not want to. For example, instead of typing a column of dollar amounts including dollar signs, commas, and decimal points, you can type numbers such as 700 and 81295, and then format the column with currency formatting. Excel then changes your entries to $700.00 and $81,295.00 or to $700 and $81295, depending on the number of decimal points you specify. See Lesson 17 for more information.

To enter a number:

1. Click the ...