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Entering dates and times as formulas
Dates
entered
as formulas
are stored
as serial numbers
representing
the
number
of days since January
1, 1900. For example,
January
1, 1993 would
be
stored
as the number
33969.
When a date is stored as a serial number, you can use Spreadsheet
to change
its format automatically.
You can also use the date in formulas. For example,
you can change Jan 15, 1993 to 1/15/93 without retyping. And you can
subtract May 3, 1990 from June 15, 1991 to determine
the number
of days
between
the two dates (408). To take advantage
of these features, first enter
your date as a formula using the built-in DATE function.
Times
entered
as formulas
are also stored
as serial
numbers.
For example,
if
you enter =TIME (12,34,23)
and press
ENTER,
Spreadsheet
returns
0.523877,
the serial number
format
of 12:34 and 23 seconds.
You can change
the format
of the cell to show
the time in normal
format
(12:34:23).
Unless you want the
date or time to appear
in your spreadsheet as
a serial number,
change the date or
time format. The next
section explains how
to do this.
• To enter a date or time as a formula:
1. Select
the cell in which
you want
to enter
a date.
2. Type
=DATE. The characters
appear
in the Edit Area.
OR
.
Type
=TIME. The characters
appear
in the Edit Area.
Type
an open
parenthesis,
followed
b,y numbers
representing
the year,
m6nthT-_rid
da_
_t'tlae i_e
y6_
want
to enter. Then,
type a close
"_
parenthesis.
Be sure to type the year, month,
and day in that order.
OR
Type an open parenthesis,
followed by numbers
representing
the time.
Then type a close parenthesis.
Type the hour, minute, and second in that
order.
4. Press ENTER. The serial number for the date or time appears in the cell.
Spreadsheet
76
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