1.05 – Using Functions – Guided Notes
MOAC Microsoft Excel 2013
Lesson 05 – Using Functions
Directions: Open Chapter 05 of the MOAC Excel 2013 textbook. Complete the sentences by finding the
missing words in the section content.
Exploring Functions
1. A ___________ is a predefined formula that performs a calculation. Excel’s built-in functions are
designed to perform different types of calculations—from _________ to ___________. When
you apply a function to specific data, you eliminate the ______ involved in manually
constructing a formula.
[Exploring Functions]
2. Functions are a _______________ way of entering ____________.
3. The parameters of a function are called ______________. Each function name is followed by
_________________, which let Excel know where the arguments begin and end. Arguments
appear _________ the parentheses and are performed from ______ to ________. Depending on
the function, an argument can be a ____________ value, a single-cell ______________, a
________ of cells, or even another function. If a function contains multiple arguments, the
arguments are separated by _________.
4. Even functions that require no arguments must _______ have parentheses following the name…
Displaying Dates and Times with Functions
5. In Excel, ________ are ___________. When you see a date in a worksheet, it’s actually a
numeric value ______________ to look like a date.
Exploring Dates
6. By default, January 1, 1900 is serial number __, January 2, 1900 is serial number __, and so on.
Each date is a number that represents the number of days that have elapsed ________ January
1, 1900.
7. You can _____, subtract, ____________, and divide using a date, just as you can with any other
number. How the date is displayed depends on the _________ you assign to it.
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1.05 – Using Functions – Guided Notes
Using TODAY
8. The TODAY function returns the ___________ ______ in a worksheet. The value returned by the
TODAY function automatically ___________ every time you change the worksheet. To specify a
date that doesn’t change, enter the date you want to use ____________.
9. The default format for the TODAY function is ___/___/______, but you can have it appear in any
date format.
Using NOW
10. The NOW function returns today’s date _____ the current time, in the default format of
___/___/______ ___:___.
11. You can apply _____ date or time format to values returned by the NOW function.
Summarizing Data with Functions
12. Functions provide an ______ way to perform mathematical work on a range of ________,
quickly and conveniently.
Using the SUM Function
13. The SUM function _________ all of the cells in a range, easily and accurately.
14. ___________ makes that even easier by calculating (by default) the total from the adjacent cell
through the first nonnumeric cell, using the SUM function in its formula.
Using the COUNT Function
15. Use the ________ function when you want to determine how many cells in a range contain a
number.
Using the COUNTA Function
16. The _________ function returns the number of cells in the selected range that contain text or
values, but not blank cells.
Using the AVERAGE Function
17. The ___________ function adds a range of cells and then divides by the number of cell entries,
determining the ______ value of all values in the range.
Using the MIN Function
18. The _____ function allows you to determine the minimum value in a range of cells.
Using the MAX Function
19. The _____ function returns the largest value in a set of values.
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1.05 – Using Functions – Guided Notes
Using a Financial Function
20. Financial functions … are designed specifically for various ___________ ________ that you
might want to work on.
Use PMT
21. The PMT function requires a series of _________ regarding interest rate, ______ _________
(principal), and loan duration, and then calculates the resulting loan payment.
22. The PMT function calculates a loan payment and uses the syntax =PMT(rate, nper, pv, [fv],
[type]). The three required arguments for the PMT function are:

Rate: The ____________ ______ charged per period (for example, per month)

Nper: The total number of ____________ for the loan

Pv: The present ________ of the loan—in other words, how much you owe; also known
as the ______________
23. When functions take more than one argument, you enter them in a single set of
_________________, separated by _________.
Using Formulas to Create Subtotals
24. Subtotaling lets you more easily analyze ________ ______ of data. You can specify ranges for
subtotals even if the ranges are not _______________.
Selecting and Creating Ranges for Subtotaling
Building Formulas for Subtotaling
25. You can calculate subtotals using the SUBTOTAL function, which returns a subtotal for a ______.
Modifying Ranges for Subtotaling
26. Once you create a ________ in a subtotal, you can easily modify it by editing the range in the
___________.
Uncovering Formula Errors
27. Formulas, because of the sometimes-complex mathematics behind them, are prone to
_________ when you enter them ____________. Fortunately, Excel provides easy-to-use tools
to find and correct problems.
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1.05 – Using Functions – Guided Notes
Reviewing Error Messages
28. The best way to resolve an error is to analyze, or ________, the error message Excel provides for
you. A ___________ ______ appears to the left of cell errors, and clicking that icon provides a
pop-up menu with formula evaluation and formula editing commands, and access to ________
______.
Tracing and Removing Trace Arrows
29. It’s not always easy to resolve a formula error, even using the Show Calculation Steps command,
the Evaluate Formula dialog box, and Excel Help. Another method is to use ________
_________, which show the relationship between formulas and the cells they refer to.
Displaying and Printing Formulas
30. When you audit the formulas in a worksheet, you might find it useful to ________ the
worksheet ______ the formulas displayed.
[Printing Formulas]
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