SECTION 1
Lesson 1.1: Using Formulas in Excel

   

 

 

To build formulas in Excel, you will have to use the basic mathematical operators as shown in the following table.

 

^             

Exponent   ( 10^2 = 100)

 *

Multiplication ( 10*2 = 20)

/

Division     (10/2 = 5)

+

Addition      (10+2 = 12)

-

Subtraction   (10-2 = 8 )

=

Equivalence  

> 

Greater than    ( 10>2 )

< 

Less than     ( 2<10 )

 

These operators are listed from top to bottom in order of precedence. This means that the following expression, 3*2+4, will have the answer 10. This is because 3*2 is evaluated first, and then 4 is added (multiplication takes precedence over addition).

 

The equation 3^2*4 will have 36 as a result, because 3^2 is evaluated first, and the result is then multiplied by 4 (exponentiation takes precedence over multiplication).

 

You can impose your own order of operations by enclosing expressions in parentheses ().

The operations inside the parentheses will be evaluated before the operations outside. If you have parenthesis within parenthesis as in ((2+3)*4), the expression in the inner parentheses, (2+3) =5, will be evaluated first, and the result will be used to evaluate the expression in the outer parentheses, (5 *4) =20.

 

Examples:

 

(3+2)*2=10, 3+2*2=7.

 

(10+20)/2=10, 10+20/2=20.

 

((4+6)*2)^2=400, 4+6*2^2=27.