MS Excel for Beginners – Functions and Formulas

Excel is a powerful tool that allows you to perform calculations effortlessly, making it invaluable for data analysis and reporting. Understanding how to use both basic formulas and common functions will enable you to manipulate and analyze your data effectively.

Essential Formulas

Starting with basic arithmetic formulas is essential for beginners. Here are the fundamental operations you can perform:

• Addition: To add two numbers in cells A1 and A2, use the formula:

=A1 + A2

This formula will sum the values in those two cells.

• Subtraction: To subtract the value in A2 from A1, use:

=A1 − A2

This will give you the difference between the two numbers.

• Multiplication: To multiply the values in A1 and A2, input:

=A1 * A2

This will return the product of the two numbers.

• Division: To divide the value in A1 by A2, use:

=A1 / A2

This formula calculates the quotient of the two cells.

Common Functions

Beyond basic arithmetic, Excel offers a variety of functions that simplify complex calculations. Here are some essential functions you should learn:

• SUM: To quickly add a range of numbers, use:

=SUM(A1:A10)

This function sums all the values from A1 to A10. It’s particularly useful for large datasets where manually adding numbers would be impractical.

• AVERAGE: To find the average value of a range, input:

=AVERAGE(A1:A10)

This function calculates the mean of the numbers in the specified range, providing insights into overall performance or trends.

• MIN: To identify the smallest number in a range, use:

=MIN(A1:A10)

This function returns the lowest value, which can be useful in scenarios such as performance evaluations.

• MAX: To find the largest number in a range, input:

=MAX(A1:A10)

This function identifies the highest value, helping you quickly assess the maximum performance or result.

Using Functions

When you want to insert a function into a cell, you can type it directly or use Excel’s built-in function library. For a quick way to insert functions, press Shift + F3. This will bring up the “Insert Function” dialog, where you can search for functions by name or browse categories, making it easier to find the right function for your needs

Exercise: In the worksheet we have created earlier, use MIN, MAX, AVERAGE functions to find minimum, maximum and average profits.