Excel Lesson 4
Entering Worksheet Formulas
Microsoft Office 2007:
Introductory
1
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Objectives
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Excel – Lesson 4
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2
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Enter and edit formulas.
Distinguish between relative, absolute, and
mixed cell references.
Use the point-and-click method to enter
formulas.
Use the Sum button to view summary
calculations.
Pasewark & Pasewark
Microsoft Office 2007: Introductory
Objectives (continued)
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Excel – Lesson 4
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3
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Preview a calculation.
Display formulas instead of results in the
worksheet.
Manually calculate formulas.
Pasewark & Pasewark
Microsoft Office 2007: Introductory
Vocabulary
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Excel – Lesson 4
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4
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Absolute cell
reference
Formula
Manual calculation
Mixed cell reference
Operand
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Pasewark & Pasewark
Operator
Order of evaluation
Point-and-click
method
Relative cell
reference
Sum button
Microsoft Office 2007: Introductory
What are Formulas?
Excel – Lesson 4
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5
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The equation used to calculate values in a cell is
called a formula. Each formula begins with an equal
sign (=).
The results of the calculation appear in the cell in
which the formula is entered. The formula itself
appears in the formula bar.
For example, if you enter the formula =8+6 in cell
B3, the value 14 appears in the cell, and the formula
=8+6 appears in the formula bar when cell B3 is the
active cell.
Pasewark & Pasewark
Microsoft Office 2007: Introductory
Entering a Formula
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Excel – Lesson 4
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6
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Worksheet formulas consist of two components:
operands and operators.
An operand is a constant (text or number) or cell
reference used in a formula. You can type cell
references in uppercase (A1) or lowercase (a1).
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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Microsoft Office 2007: Introductory
Entering a Formula (continued)
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Excel – Lesson 4
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7
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Formulas can include more than one operator. The
sequence used to calculate the value of a formula is
called the order of evaluation.
1. Contents within parentheses are evaluated first.
If there are multiple sets of parentheses, the
innermost set of parentheses is evaluated first.
2. Mathematical operators are evaluated in the order
of priority: Exponentiation, Positive or negative,
Multiplication or division, Addition or subtraction.
3. If two or more operators have the same order of
evaluation, the equation is evaluated from left to
right.
Pasewark & Pasewark
Microsoft Office 2007: Introductory
Editing Formulas
Excel – Lesson 4
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8
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If you enter a formula with an incorrect structure, a
dialog box appears, explaining the error and
providing a possible correction. You can accept the
correction or choose to correct the formula yourself.
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 doubleclick the cell to enter editing mode.
Pasewark & Pasewark
Microsoft Office 2007: Introductory
Comparing Relative, Absolute, and
Mixed Cell References
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Excel – Lesson 4
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Three types of cell references are used in formulas: relative,
absolute, and mixed.
A relative cell reference adjusts to its new location when copied
or moved.
Absolute cell references do not change when copied or moved
to a new cell. To create an absolute cell reference, you insert a
dollar sign ($) before the column letter and before the row
number.
Cell references that contain both relative and absolute
references are called mixed cell references. When formulas
with mixed cell references are copied or moved, the row or
column references preceded by a dollar sign do not change.
Pasewark & Pasewark
Microsoft Office 2007: Introductory
Creating Formulas Quickly
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Excel – Lesson 4
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10
To use the point-and-click method, simply click the
cell instead of typing the cell reference.
To use the Sum button, click the cell where you want
the total to appear, and then click the Sum button.
An outline appears around the range Excel selects. If
you want to add numbers in a different range, drag
to select those cells. Press the Enter key to complete
the formula. The active cell displays the sum.
Pasewark & Pasewark
Microsoft Office 2007: Introductory
Previewing Calculations
Excel – Lesson 4
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11
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Whenever you select a range, the status bar
shows the results of common calculations for
the selected cells. These summary
calculations appear without your having to
enter a formula.
By default, Average, Count, and Sum appear
in the status bar. You can also display
Numerical Count, Minimum, and Maximum.
Pasewark & Pasewark
Microsoft Office 2007: Introductory
Showing Formulas in the Worksheet
Excel – Lesson 4
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12
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When creating a worksheet with many
formulas, you may find it simpler to organize
formulas and detect formula errors when all
formulas are visible.
To do this, click the Formulas tab on the
Ribbon, and then click the Show Formulas
button in the Formula Auditing group.
The formulas replace the formula results in
the worksheet.
Pasewark & Pasewark
Microsoft Office 2007: Introductory
Calculating Formulas Manually
Excel – Lesson 4
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13
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When you need to edit a worksheet with many
formulas, you can specify manual calculation, which
lets you determine when Excel calculates the
formulas.
The Formulas tab on the Ribbon contains all the
buttons you need when working with manual
calculations. To switch to manual calculation, click
the Calculation Options button in the Calculation
group on the Formulas tab, and then click Manual.
Pasewark & Pasewark
Microsoft Office 2007: Introductory
Summary
Excel – Lesson 4
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14
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Formulas are equations used to calculate values in a
cell, based on 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.
If 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.
Pasewark & Pasewark
Microsoft Office 2007: Introductory
Summary (continued)
Excel – Lesson 4
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15
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Relative references adjust to a new location when
copied or moved. Absolute references do not change,
regardless of where they are copied or moved. Mixed
references contain both relative and absolute
references.
Formulas can be created quickly using the point-andclick method. With this method, you insert a cell
reference in a formula by clicking the cell rather than
typing its column letter and row number.
The Sum button in the Editing group on the Home tab
inserts a formula with the SUM function, which adds
the value of cells in the specified range.
Pasewark & Pasewark
Microsoft Office 2007: Introductory
Summary (continued)
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Excel – Lesson 4
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16
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The status bar shows a preview of common formulas, including
Average, Count, and Sum, when you select a range of cells. You
can choose which formula previews to show or hide.
You can view the formulas in a worksheet, instead of the formula
results, by clicking the Show Formulas button in the Formula
Auditing group on the Formulas tab.
Excel calculates formula results in a worksheet when you enter
the formula, and recalculates the results whenever the cells used
in that formula change.
When you need to edit a worksheet with many formulas, you can
click the Calculations Options button in the Calculation group on
the Formulas tab, and then click Manual. When you want to
calculate the formula results, click the Calculate Now button.
Pasewark & Pasewark
Microsoft Office 2007: Introductory