4. ➕ Using Basic Formulas and Functions - divengine/book-spreadsheet-basics GitHub Wiki
Spreadsheets are powerful because they can do math automatically. You don’t need to calculate totals or averages by hand — let the spreadsheet do it for you using formulas and functions.
🧮 What is a Formula?
A formula is an instruction that performs a calculation.
Formulas always start with an equal sign =.
Example:
=5 + 3 → This adds 5 and 3
But more useful is to refer to cells:
=A1 + B1 → This adds the values in cells A1 and B1
🧠 What is a Function?
A function is a built-in formula that saves time.
Common Functions:
=SUM(A1:A5)→ Adds all values from A1 to A5=AVERAGE(B1:B5)→ Calculates the average=MIN(C1:C5)→ Finds the smallest number=MAX(C1:C5)→ Finds the largest number
📍 Cell References
You can use different types of references:
- Relative:
A1(changes when copied) - Absolute:
$A$1(stays fixed when copied) - Mixed:
$A1orA$1
💡 Use $ to lock a column, row, or both.
🧪 Try It Yourself
| A | B | C |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Price | Quantity |
| Apple | 1.00 | 5 |
| Banana | 0.50 | 8 |
| Orange | 0.75 | 3 |
| Total | =B2*C2 + B3*C3 + B4*C4 |
|
or use: =SUMPRODUCT(B2:B4, C2:C4) |
⚠️ Formula Tips
- Always check for the
=at the start - Click a cell to include it in your formula
- Use parentheses
()to control order
✅ What You Should Know After This Page
- How to create a formula using cell references
- How to use basic functions like SUM and AVERAGE
- The difference between relative and absolute references