BROWSE HOW TOs

How to Use Simple Formulas in Excel

By eHow Computers Editor

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Whether you need an intricate spreadsheet for your business or a simple report for the booster club at school, Excel software fits the bill. To really leverage the software, take advantage of the many pre-built formulas it contains. You'll find most of them very simple and easy to master. Just note that these examples name specific cells so you'll need to substitute the actual cell numbers from your spreadsheet when using the formulas. Read on to learn more.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Step1

Start with one of the most common formulas which is the SUM function, designed to simply add numbers together that appear in a row or column. After inputting the data to your worksheet, put your cursor in the cell you want the sum total to appear in, enter the formula =SUM(A1:A4) in the formula bar and hit the enter key. Excel will add the numbers in the range of cells you designated and the total will appear in the cell where your cursor is located.

Step2

Subtract numbers by using the SUM function similar to the way you add numbers. Only in this formula enter a minus sign where the colon is so it looks like =SUM(A1-A4).

Step3

Calculate percentages using an equation of amount/total = percentage. Enter the formula as =A2/B2 and click PERCENT STYLE on the formatting toolbar so the answer appears with a percent sign.

Step4

Multiply two numbers together located in different cells by entering a simple formula of =A2*B2.

Step5

Divide two numbers by using a formula of =A2/A3. In this example A2 represents the cell with the number being divided and A3 is the divisor.

Tips & Warnings

There are hundreds of formulas in Excel to use. Just click on the word "Help" on your toolbar, go to the index and enter the word "formulas." You'll see list of several categories to choose from with detailed information about a variety of formulas.