Welcome to Step 4 of your Excel learning journey!
In this step, weโll explore basic formulas that form the building blocks of powerful Excel workbooks.
๐ What is a Formula in Excel?
A formula is an expression used to calculate values, process data, or automate tasks in Excel.
Every formula starts with an equal sign (=).
Example:
=2+2
=SUM(A1:A5)
๐งฎ 1. SUM โ Adding Values
The Login to see the code function adds a group of numbers.
Formula:
=SUM(A1:A5)
Meaning: Adds values from cell A1 to A5
Example:
If A1 = 10, A2 = 20, A3 = 30,
=SUM(A1:A3) returns 60
๐ 2. AVERAGE โ Finding the Mean
The Login to see the code function returns the arithmetic mean.
Formula:
=AVERAGE(B1:B5)
Meaning: Adds the values in B1 to B5 and divides by the number of entries
Example:
If B1 to B5 = 10, 20, 30, 40, 50
=AVERAGE(B1:B5) returns 30
๐ข 3. MIN and MAX โ Smallest and Largest
Login to see the code returns the smallest number.
Login to see the code returns the largest number.
Examples:
=MIN(C1:C5) โ Smallest value in range
=MAX(C1:C5) โ Largest value in range
๐ 4. COUNT โ Counting Numbers
Login to see the code counts the number of numeric entries in a range.
Example:
=COUNT(D1๐10)
If 5 cells contain numbers, it returns 5.
๐ 5. COUNTA โ Counting Non-Empty Cells
Login to see the code counts both numbers and text (non-empty cells).
Example:
=COUNTA(D1๐10)
If 7 cells contain anything (text or numbers), it returns 7.
๐ก Bonus: AutoSum Feature
Instead of typing Login to see the code, you can use the AutoSum (ฮฃ) button on the toolbar.
Excel will automatically select the most likely range to sum.
Steps:
Click the cell below your list of numbers
Click the AutoSum (ฮฃ) icon
Press Enter
โ ๏ธ Tips to Remember
๐ Practice Exercise
Try this:
Open a blank Excel file
In A1 to A5, type: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25
In A6, enter: =SUM(A1:A5)
Try =AVERAGE(A1:A5), =MAX(A1:A5), and =MIN(A1:A5)
Login to see the link
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Summary**
These basic formulas are the building blocks of Excel.
Once youโre confident using them, youโre ready for conditional logic, lookups, and dashboards!
