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Working with Formulas
Spreadsheet
uses
floating point math,
which has benefits such
as speed. But it
produces errors in the
17th or 18th significant
digit. These errors only
become apparent in
some cldculations,
especially when you use
financial functions like
IRR and NPV
Spreadsheet
adheres to
the IEEE 754 standards
for floating point
calculations.
Formulas describe calculations
you want Spreadsheet to perform. When you
start to use formulas, you see the power of a spreadsheeL
Each time you
change the contents of a cell anywhere
in your spreadsheet,
Spreadsheet
automatically recalculates
every formula in the spreadsheet-
Formulas are made up of the following elements:
•
References
to particular
cells or ranges
like A1 or B12:C18
•
Operators
like + and - for addition
and subtraction
•
Values
like 5, 100, and 0.25
•
Built-in
functions
or prewritten
formulas
built into Spreadsheet
(DATE, SUM, and AVG are built-in
formulas)
This section
explains
how to combine
these
elements
in a formula
that
performs
a calculation.
Entering Formulas
A
I
'
!
c
!
Din,
e_
I
25.00
rOTAL
4_oJ
_.
l ........
Begin
a formula
by typing
=
(an
equal
sign).
Next, use
references,
values,
operators,
and built-in
functions
to describe
the calculation
you want
to
perfomWThe
il_stration_at
the left shows
how you might
use a formula
to
add expenses.
Cell B4 contains
the following
formula:
--BI+B2+B3
This formula tells Spreadsheet
to add the values in cells B1, B2, and B3; and
show the result in cell B4. Here are the elements
of this formula:
•
The equal
sign (=) mils Spreadsheet
it is a formula.
All formulas
must
start with an equal
sign.
•
B1, B2, and
B3 are references.
•
The plus signs
(+) are operators.
The example
above
does
not include
a built-in
function,
which
is a prewritten
formula
built into Spreadsheet.
For more
information
about
built-in
functions,
see page 88.
Spreadsheet
85
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