Common Excel Functions
• Some of the most common
functions are:
SUM – add numbers in a range of cells
AVERAGE – computes averages
MIN – determine the smallest value
MAX – determine the largest value
MEDIAN – calculate the median
ROUND – rounds the results of a
formula to a specified number of
decimal places
 MEAN – calculates the mean
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Common Excel Functions
• =round(cell, n)
Allows to round a number to the decimal (n)
place of your choice.
If (n > 0) rounds to the n decimal places
If (n == 0) rounds to the nearest integer
If (n < 0) rounds to n decimal places to the
left of the decimal point
H/w roundup, rounddown, int, mround
Common Excel Functions
= mod(n, d)
Gives the remainder on dividing the number n
by d
• The V in VLOOKUP means "vertical".
• HLOOKUP works similarly, but finds
data going across columns, instead of
down rows.
• VLOOKUP(lookup_value,table_array,c
ol_index_num,range_lookup)
Vlookup
• Lookup_value
The value to search in
the first column of the table array.
• Table_array
Two or more columns of
data. Use a reference to a range or a
range name.
• Col_index_num
The column number in
table_array from which the matching
value must be returned.
Vlookup
• Range_lookup
A logical value that
specifies whether you want VLOOKUP
to find an exact match or an
approximate match
H/w
• Distinguish
between
the
vlookup,
hlookup and lookup functions
• Make use of these in the 247
expenditure problem
Vlookup
Date and time functions
• Dates stored as integers and all times
as decimal fractions. Can then add,
subtract, compare, … dates and times
just like any other numbers
• date() returns the number
that
represents a particular date
H/w
• What does each of these functions do:• now, today and weekday
• How get difference b/w times or dates
Logical functions
• Based on the boolean types whose
values are True and False .
• not(exp) returns the boolean value
that is not the value of the evaluation
of the expression exp which will be:• False if exp evaluates to True
• True if exp evaluates to False
• and(exp1,exp2,…) returns the boolean
value True if all of the expressions
evaluate to True otherwise False
• or(exp1,exp2,…) returns the boolean value
True if one of the expressions evaluate to
True otherwise False
Logical functions
• Based on the boolean types whose
values are True and False .
• What does the xor()operation do?
• IF(exp,trueV
[,falseV])
returns
boolean value based on the results of
the evaluation of the expression exp
which will be:• trueV if evaluates exp to True
• falseV if evaluates exp to False (optional)
Logical functions
Example
• A cell say a3 contains some number.
• For each write a simple test that:– Gives “same” if a3 is 5, else “not same”
– Gives “higher” if a3 is above 5, otherwise
“lower”
– Gives “lower” if a3 is above 5, otherwise
“higher”
H/w
• What does each of these functions do:• sumif, countif, …
Logical functions
• The if function can be nested that is
used within another if function.
• A student may be in the Business
faculty. Business students may take
the BS101, BS201 or BS203 programmes
• For each write a simple test that
determines :– if a student is in the faculty of Business
– If a programme is in the Business faculty
– Whether a student is taking a Business
faculty programme
Text functions
• A string (or Text) is a sequence of
characters. Characters derived from
some character code such as ASCII
code (xor Unicode)
Some examples of functions on strings:• char(intv) returns character whose
ASCII code is intv
• len(txt) returns the length or number
of characters in the text string txt
• lenb(txt) returns the number of bytes
used to represent the text string txt
Text functions
Some examples of functions on strings:• lower(txt) converts uppercase letters
in the text string txt to lowercase
letters
• upper(txt) converts lowercase letters
in the text string txt to uppercase
letters
• MID(txt,st,num) returns a specific
number num of characters from a text
string txt, starting at the position st
Text functions
Some examples of functions on strings:• left(txt[,num])
returns
the
first
character (or first num characters) from
a text string txt
• right(txt[,num]) returns the last
character (or last num characters) from
a text string txt
• concatenate(txt1[,txt2,…])
returns
the string formed by concatenating the
given strings txt1, txt2,…, txtn
• proper(txt) returns …..
• exact(txt, txt2) returns …..
Text functions
Some examples of functions on strings:• search(txt1, txt2[,num]) locates text
string txt1 within a second text string
txt2, and returns the number of the
starting position of the first text string
txt1 from the first character of the
second text stringtxt2. (not casesensitive)
• find returns …
• Substitute returns …
• text returns …..
Other functions
• Other useful functions in specialised
fields such as Engineering, Finance,
Mathematics and Statistics.
Some examples of functions :• rand() returns a random number in the
open interval (0-1)
• pmt(rate, nper, pv, [fv], [type])
returns the periodic payment for an
annuity