How to Generate a Random Number in Excel 2007

Microsoft Excel 2007 is a spreadsheet program that allows you to easily analyze data, organize large sets of data, create tables and enter formulas. While Excel 2007 gives you the ability to create formulas tailored to your specific needs, it also provides you with a large amount of pre-built formulas. One such formula is the RAND function, which returns a random number between 0 and 1. The function can be modified to return random numbers between 0 and any number (0 and n), or between two numbers (a and b).

Instructions

1. Open a new spreadsheet.

2. Enter one of the following formulas into any cell:
   Enter =RAND() if you want the random number to be between 0 and 1.
   Enter =RAND()*n into a cell if you want the number to be between 0 and n. For example, if you want a random number generated that is between 0 and 10, enter =RAND()*10.
   Enter =RAND()*(b-a)+a if you want a random number between a and b. For example, if you want a random number between 10 and 100, enter =RAND()*(100-10)+10.

3. Press "Enter" to return a random number between 0 and 1.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are experimenting with RAND for the first time, open a new spreadsheet. This will enable you to see the results of RAND more easily.

References

• Microsoft: RAND