In case you are new in Excel world such as a student or new grad, you may wonder what are the most powerful basic excel formulas? Excel is a powerful program but it is like an ocean when it comes to learning formulas. If you want to start in a good pace without drowning in excel formula tutorial pages, here we will go over some basic Excel formulas. These for example do things such as calculate the average, find the sum and more. And everyone is sure that these formulas are essential for each Excel user. Now and in future!
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excel formula tutorial: Learn basic excel formulas
So, you need to do a quick calculation. But you don’t have your calculator handy? Or maybe you need to do a more complicated calculation. And you don’t want to take the time to open up a separate program. Excel is the perfect solution for both of these situations. You can do your personal or business calculations in a cell with lots of formula options. And what is better, it will be faster and probably more accurate than manual one.
how to use excel formulas: basic excel tutorial
Calculations are just a few of the many different formulas in Excel. In future posts, we will go over more complicated formulas as well as how to use them in real-world scenarios. For now, though, we can try playing around with these basic formulas and you will learn a new one each day.
1. The SUM function/ Excel Formulas – adding numbers together: essential excel formulas
The SUM function is one of the most basic and common formulas in Excel. If you want to use the SUM function, you will simply type “=SUM(number1,number2,…)” into a cell. And then, you will be replacing “number1” with the first number you want to add. And same action goes for “number2” with the second number and so on. You can add as many numbers as you want . But only condition is to separate them with commas. Once you entered the formula, you will hit enter and Excel will do the rest!
2. The AVERAGE function – basic formulas in excel
The AVERAGE function can calculate the average of several numbers. If you want to use the AVERAGE function, you should type “=AVERAGE(number1,number2,…)” into a cell. Then you will be replacing “number1” with the first number in the set and do the same for each number. As with the SUM function, you can include as many numbers as you want. Again here separating them with commas is important.
3. The MAX function – finding the largest number in a set of data
The MAX function is good for finding the largest number in a data set. For MAX function, you will type following formula: “=MAX(number1,number2,…)” into a cell. As with the other functions, you can include as many numbers as you want. And when you hit enter and Excel will return the largest number in the set.
4. The MIN function/formula – finding the smallest number in a set of data
The MIN function on the other hand, does the opposite of above. And it finds the smallest number in your data range. In case you wanna work with MIN function, you should type “=MIN(number1,number2,…)” into a cell. And you will change number1 with the first number and so on.
5. The PRODUCT function/formulas – multiplying a series of numbers together
The PRODUCT function can work to multiply a series of numbers together. For PRODUCT function to work, you should type this. “=PRODUCT(number1,number2,…)” into a cell. Then you will change the number1 and number 2 statements with your own data numbers.
6. The QUOTIENT function – dividing one number by another and returning only the integer portion
The QUOTIENT function will divide one number by another and return only the integer portion. If you want to use the QUOTIENT function, you should then type “=QUOTIENT(number1,number2)” into a cell. And you will enter your numbers in order like you did for above functions. Once the function is ok to go, you can press enter and Excel will return the integer portion of the division.
basic excel functions: 6 basic excel functions
These are just a few of the many different formulas that Excel offers. In future posts, we will go over more complicated formulas as you get confident in using them. For now, though, you can apply these 6 formulas to your daily routine and see how they work for you.
What Other Basic Excel Functions Should I Learn?
If you are learning Excel, no user can pass the tests without good old IF and vlOOKUP functions. Yes they are essential duos for Excel users.
IF:
This function performs a logical test and returns different values based on what you askes for. For instance, =IF(G1 > 50, “Pass”, “Fail”) checks if the value in G1 is greater than 50 and returns Pass or Fail. This one ideal if you are looking for certain values above or below something. You can do a filtering if you have a better data to work. But on a large scale works, this formula works for entire sheet.
VLOOKUP:
This good old formula searches for a value in the first column in a dataset and returns a value in the same row from a specified column. For example, =VLOOKUP(H1, A1:B10, 2, FALSE) looks for the value in H1 within the range A1:B10. And as a result, it returns the corresponding value from the second column. This formula is popular in every niche. Such as in accounting or HR department or even for students working in Excel.
Hello, I’m Cansu, a professional dedicated to creating Excel tutorials, specifically catering to the needs of B2B professionals. With a passion for data analysis and a deep understanding of Microsoft Excel, I have built a reputation for providing comprehensive and user-friendly tutorials that empower businesses to harness the full potential of this powerful software.
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