How to Use Formulas in Excel

By eHow Computers Editor

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An Excel formula is one of the many time-saving features in the software program. Formulas help to automate the calculations that a user specifies and, once created, they can be used as many times as needed. One of the most important features of an Excel formula is its ability to remain the same when the value of one of its components changes and adjust the results of its calculation to reflect the new value.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step1

Learn how to write a formula in Excel. Unlike the method used in writing regular mathematical formulas, the Excel formula begins with an equal sign. Instead of "5 + 3 =", the Excel formula is written as "= 5 + 3".

Step2

Use cell references when writing formulas in Excel. The cell reference is the address of the cell containing the data you want to calculate. For instance, to add 5 and 3, which are in cells A1 and B1 respectively, you would write "= A1 + B1".

Step3

Use mathematical operators in formulas. The signs used for the common mathematical operations in Excel are the plus sign for addition (+), the minus sign (-) for subtraction, the asterisk (*) for multiplication, the forward slash (/) for division and the caret (^) for exponentiation.

Step4

Use BEDMAS to arrange your formulas if you plan to use more than one mathematical operator. BEDMAS represents: Brackets, Exponentials, Division, Multiplication, Addition and Subtraction. Excel performs calculations in this order when there is more than one operator present.

Tips & Warnings

Click the cell containing the result of a calculation in order to see the formula you used. The formula will appear in the formula bar above the column heading.
Use cell references, instead of the data contained within the cells, when creating formulas. This ensures that the result of the calculation will change automatically when the data contained in the relevant cells changes.