Basic Formulas
A formula tells Excel to calculate something automatically. Every formula starts with an equals sign (=). When you type a formula in a cell, Excel shows the result instead of the formula.
The Golden Rule
Every Excel formula begins with =. Without it, Excel treats your entry as plain text. With it, Excel calculates the answer.
Type =A1+B1 → press Enter → Excel shows 100
Basic Formula Operators
| Operator | Symbol | Example | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Addition | + | =A1+B1 | Adds A1 and B1 |
| Subtraction | - | =A1-B1 | Subtracts B1 from A1 |
| Multiplication | * | =A1*B1 | Multiplies A1 by B1 |
| Division | / | =A1/B1 | Divides A1 by B1 |
The SUM Function
Instead of writing =A1+A2+A3+A4+A5, Excel has a shortcut function: =SUM(A1:A5). The colon (:) means "from A1 to A5". SUM adds all values in that range automatically.
Other Useful Functions
=AVERAGE(A1:A5) finds the mean of the values. =MAX(A1:A5) finds the highest number. =MIN(A1:A5) finds the lowest number.
💡 Fun Fact: Excel has over 400 built-in functions! Scientists use them to analyse data, and shops use them to manage stock — all with formulas like the ones you just learned.
✏️ Exercise
Q1. Every Excel formula must start with which symbol?
✅ Every formula starts with = (equals sign).
Q2. Write a formula to multiply the value in B2 by the value in C2.
✅ The formula is =B2*C2.
Q3. What does =SUM(B1:B5) calculate?
✅ It calculates the total (sum) of all values in cells B1 through B5.
Q4. Which function finds the highest number in a range?
✅ The =MAX() function finds the highest number in a range.
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