EXCEL Formulas
Excel Lesson 2016--2
By
Eddons Munthali
27 APRIL 2016
To refer to another worksheet
• Example you can use:
=SheetName!B1:B10
• You can also use worksheet functions in the
same way
=Average(SheetName!B1:B10)
• The worksheets must be in the same
workbook
Relative, Absolute, and Mixed Cell References
• A relative cell reference adjusts to its new location
when copied or moved to another cell.
• A relative cell reference, such as A1, is based on the relative
position of the cell. If the position of the cell that contains
the reference changes, the reference itself is changed
Suppose I enter that cell b2 is equal to a1.
If I copy cell b2 to b3, the relative
reference automatically adjusts to be
the next cell relative to a1 – a2!
This is the default in Excel
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• An Absolute cell references do not change when
copied or moved to a new cell.
• It uses a dollar sign
An absolute cell reference, such as $A$1, always refers
to a cell in a specific location. If the position of the cell
that contains the formula changes, the absolute
reference remains the same.
If I put in an absolute
cell reference, the
cell reference does
not change when
copied to other cells
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• A mixed reference has either an absolute column
and relative row, or absolute row and relative
column.
• An absolute column reference takes the form
$A1, $B1, and so on.
• An absolute row reference takes the form A$1,
B$1, and so on.
What happens if I copy a
relative column, absolute
row reference to the c3
cell?
The relative column reference adjusts, but the
absolute column reference does not
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• Mixed cell references
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What Are Formulas?
• Formula - the equation used to calculate
values based on numbers entered in cells.
• Each formula begins with an equal sign (=).
• The results of the calculation appear in the
cell in which the formula is entered.
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What Are Formulas? (continued)
• Formula and formula reset
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Entering a Formula
• Worksheet formulas consist of two components:
– operands
– operators
• An operand is a constant (text or number) or cell
reference used in a formula.
• An operator is a symbol that indicates the type of
calculation to perform on the operands, such as a
plus sign (+) for addition.
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Entering a Formula (continued)
• Mathematical operators
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Entering a Formula (continued)
• A formula with multiple operators is
calculated using the order of evaluation.
– Contents within parentheses (beginning with
innermost) are evaluated first.
– Mathematical operators are evaluated in a
specific order. (Shown in table on next slide).
– If operators have the same order of evaluation,
the equation is evaluated from left to right.
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Entering a Formula (continued)
• Order of evaluation
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Editing Formulas
• If you enter a formula with an incorrect
structure in a cell, Excel opens a dialog box
that explains the error and provides a possible
correction.
Formula error message
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Editing Formulas (continued)
• If you discover that you need to make a
correction, you can edit the formula.
• Click the cell with the formula you want to
edit. Press the F2 key or double-click the
cell to enter editing mode or click in the
Formula Bar.
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Creating Formulas Quickly
• You can include cell references in a formula
by using the point-and-click method to
click each cell rather than typing a cell
reference.
• Worksheet users frequently need to add
long columns or rows of numbers. To use
the Sum button, click the cell where you
want the total to appear, and then click the
Sum button.
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Previewing Calculations
• When you select a range that contains
numbers, the status bar shows the results
of common calculations for the range.
• By default, these calculations display the
average value in the selected range, a
count of the number of values in the
selected range, and a sum of the values in
the selected range.
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Previewing Calculations (continued)
• Summary calculation options for the status bar
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Summary
• Formulas are equations used to calculate values and
display them in a cell.
• Formulas can include values referenced in other cells of
the worksheet.
• Each formula begins with an equal sign and contains at
least two operands and one operator.
• Formulas can include more than one operator. The order
of evaluation determines the sequence used to calculate
the value of a formula.
• When you enter a formula with an incorrect structure,
Excel can correct the error for you, or you can choose to
edit it yourself.
• To edit a formula, click the cell with the formula and then
make changes in the Formula Bar. You can also double-
click a formula and then edit the formula directly in the
cell.
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