Spreadsheets and Data

Formulas
8

Formulas make a spreadsheet application a very powerful tool. They are mathematical
Aim: To learn about
sums that can be used to:
the use of formulas
 Carry out additions, subtractions, multiplications and divisions (using the +, -, * in Excel and
and / symbols). Google Sheets.
 Find the total of a group of numbers (using the SUM function).
 Find the average, highest or lowest of a set of numbers (using the AVERAGE, MAX and MIN functions).

Note: These tasks can be completed in Excel or Google Sheets.

Task 1 – Addition
a. Open a new blank Excel workbook or Google sheet and copy
the data on the right.

b. To find the total number of red bicycles, make cell D4

the active cell and type the formula =B4+C4. You may
notice some coloured borders appearing as you type.

c. Press the Enter key to display the result.

What does the formula mean?

= B4 + C4

This cell should … the contents … plus … … the contents of

equal … of cell B4 … cell C4.

Note: All formulas begin with an equals symbol. The coloured boxes show which cells are being used.

Task 2 – Fill
We could simply repeat this process for all the other colours of bicycle, but there is a much quicker way.

a. Make cell D4 active again.

b. There is a small square in the bottom-right

of the active cell called the fill handle (it’s
green in Excel, blue in Sheets). Click on this Fill handle
and hold your mouse button down.

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Formulas (page 2)

c. Drag the mouse pointer down to cell D8 so that that the box appears around all
the cells in the range D4:D8. Release the mouse button. The formula should have
been copied into all five cells as shown below-left.

d. You can view the actual formulas rather than the results (as above-right) by selecting ‘Formulas / Show
Formulas’ (or ‘View / Show formulas’ in Google Sheets). Repeat this action to hide them again.

Task 3 – SUM
The method used in the last task is fine for adding 2 or 3 numbers together, but adding 20 numbers would mean
typing a very long formula (=B4+C4+D4+E4+F4…). To perform this calculation quickly, we use the SUM function.

a. To find the total number of bicycles in Store 1, click on cell B9 to make it the active cell and type the formula
=SUM(B4:B8). Press the Enter key to display the result.

What does the formula mean?

= SUM ( B4:B8 )

This cell should equal … … the sum of … … all the data in the range B4 to B8.

b. Use the fill method to copy this formula to cells in the range C9:D9 and save or name your work as
“08 Formulas”.

Task 4 – Other Operators

We used the + symbol in the task above for an addition sum. The other common operators are:

Subtract - (e.g. =B1-A1) Multiply * (e.g. =B2*A2) Divide / (e.g. =B3/A3)

Write out the formulas needed to produce the calculations below. Remember that all formulas must begin with an
equals sign.

a. Add the contents of cells C1 and C2 together. ________________________________

b. Sum the contents of the cells in the range A2 to A9. ________________________________
c. Multiply the data in cell B3 by the data in B7. ________________________________
d. Divide the data in cell C4 by the data in cell C2. ________________________________
e. Subtract the data in cell F3 from the data in F2. ________________________________
f. Add the contents of cells B1 and B2, then subtract B3. ________________________________

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Formulas (page 3)

Task 5 – AutoSum
So far, we have typed the formulas into the cells. Although it is important that you can do this, there are quicker
ways of achieving the same result.

a. Select the range B9:D9. Press the Delete key to remove the formulas from the cell. Make cell B9 active.

b. In Excel, select ‘Home / AutoSum / Sum’.

In Sheets, click the Sum icon as shown far-right and

select Sum.

c. Excel will predict that you want to sum the numbers in the
range B4:D8 and place a dashed border around this range. As
it has predicted correctly, simply press the Enter key to accept
the formula.

Sheets won’t predict the range you want to sum, so use your
mouse to select the range B4:B8 as shown, then press Enter.

d. Rather than using the Fill tool, try copying cell B9 and pasting it to C9 and D9. You could use the keyboard
shortcuts ‘Ctrl + C’ and ‘Ctrl + V’.

Task 6 – Max, Min and Average

Excel and Sheets provide functions to work out the highest (max), lowest (min) and average of a range of values.

a. Add the labels ‘Max’ to A11, ‘Min’ to A12 and ‘Average’ to A13 as shown below-right.

b. Make cell B11 active. Select ‘Home / AutoSum / Max’ (or ‘Sum / Max’ in Sheets).

c. The range Excel predicts will be incorrect (below-centre) as we only want to find the largest number from the
five styles of bicycle (B4:B8). The range should not include the total in cell B9.

Use your mouse to select the correct range (as below-right) and press Enter.

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Formulas (page 4)

d. In cell B12, use the Min function to locate the lowest number in the
range B4:B8.

e. In cell B13, use the Average function to locate the average of the
numbers in the range B4:B8.

f. Fill these formulas across the next two columns. You can do this in
a single step if you select cells B11:B13 first.

g. Format your spreadsheet. Try and keep the colours subtle for a
professional feel. Save your workbook if using Excel.

Task 7 – Fill and AutoSum Practice

We will perform operations on the numbers from 1 to 20.

a. Click on the symbol in the bottom-left to create a new

worksheet. You may edit the worksheet names by double-
clicking on them.

b. In your new worksheet, enter a ‘1’ into cell A1 and a ‘2’ into A2.

c. Select the cells A1 and A2 together, then drag the fill handle down to cell A20. The
numbers from 1 to 20 should fill automatically.

d. Click on cell A22 and use the Sum function to find the total of the numbers 1-20.

e. In cell A23, use the Max function to locate the largest number (obviously
20). Don’t forget to select the correct range.

f. Place the Min in cell A24 and the Average in cell A25. Add some labels and
save your work.

Task 8 – Other Uses of Fill

Spreadsheet applications are quite good at identifying simple number patterns. In a 3 rd worksheet named ‘Fills’, enter
the data as shown below. Separately, for each column, select the data that is in place and fill down to row 10 (i.e.
select only one cell in Column E and three cells in Column F). Complete the values that appear in the empty cells
shown below and try and explain what is happening.

A B C D E F
1 1 1 10 15 1/01/2017 1
2 3 4 9 10 2
3 4
4

Exp

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