Using Formulae and Functions in Microsoft Excel 2003

Guide 35
Version 1.0
Using formulae and

functions in Microsoft Excel
2003
This guide provides an introduction to doing calculations in Excel 2003. It is
assumed that the reader is familiar with the basics of Excel covered in
Guide 33: An introduction to Microsoft Excel 2003.
A sample workbook referred to in the document is provided on the ITS
Networked PC Service. Users of stand-alone PCs can get a copy from the ITS
Web pages.
£1
Document code: Guide 35
Title: Using formulae and functions in Microsoft Excel 2003
Version: 1.0
Date: June 2006
Produced by: University of Durham Information Technology Service
Copyright © 2006 University of Durham Information Technology Service
Conventions:
In this document, the following conventions are used:
• A typewriter font is used for what you see on the screen.
• A bold typewriter font is used to represent the actual characters you type at
the keyboard.
• A slanted typewriter font is used for items such as filenames which you should
replace with particular instances.
• A bold font is used to indicate named keys on the keyboard, for example,
Esc and Enter, represent the keys marked Esc and Enter, respectively.
• A bold font is also used where a technical term or command name is used in
the text.
• Where two keys are separated by a forward slash (as in Ctrl/B, for example),
press and hold down the first key (Ctrl), tap the second (B), and then release
the first key.
Contents
1 Creating formulae .............................................................................................. 1

1.1 Entering a formula .......................................................................................................1
1.2 Order of priority of operators .......................................................................................2
1.3 Editing formulae ..........................................................................................................2
1.4 Experimenting with parentheses .................................................................................3
1.5 Constructing your own formula ...................................................................................3
1.6 Using cell references...................................................................................................3
1.6.1 Typing the cell references in a formula ...............................................................3
1.6.2 Clicking on the cells to be included in a formula .................................................4
1.7 Copying a formula .......................................................................................................4
1.8 Absolute cell references ..............................................................................................5
2 Adding numbers ................................................................................................ 6
2.1 Adding a column of numbers using the Σ button ........................................................6
2.2 Adding a column of numbers using the SUM function ................................................7
2.3 Adding rows and columns of numbers ........................................................................7
3 Functions............................................................................................................ 7
3.1 Entering functions........................................................................................................8
4 Mathematical functions ..................................................................................... 9
4.1 SUM.............................................................................................................................9
4.2 ROMAN .................................................................................................................... 10
4.3 Random numbers..................................................................................................... 11
5 Text functions .................................................................................................. 11
5.1 REPT ........................................................................................................................ 11
5.2 TRIM......................................................................................................................... 12
5.3 CONCATENATE ...................................................................................................... 12
5.4 UPPER, LOWER and PROPER .............................................................................. 13
6 Dates and times ............................................................................................... 13
6.1 Date systems............................................................................................................ 14
6.2 Entering dates and times ......................................................................................... 14
6.3 How Excel interprets dates ...................................................................................... 14
6.4 Changing the default settings................................................................................... 15
6.4.1 To display four-digit years ................................................................................ 15
6.4.2 To change the interpretation of two-digit years ................................................ 15
6.5 Doing calculations with dates and times .................................................................. 15
6.5.1 TODAY ............................................................................................................. 15
6.5.2 NOW................................................................................................................. 16
6.5.3 WEEKDAY........................................................................................................ 16
6.5.4 Adding and subtracting dates and times .......................................................... 17
6.6 Specialist date and financial functions ..................................................................... 17
7 Logical functions ............................................................................................. 17
7.1 Conditional tests....................................................................................................... 18
7.2 IF .............................................................................................................................. 19
7.3 Nested IF statements ............................................................................................... 20
7.4 AND, OR and NOT................................................................................................... 21
8 Statistical functions......................................................................................... 22
8.1 AVERAGE ................................................................................................................ 23
8.2 MAX.......................................................................................................................... 23
8.3 COUNT..................................................................................................................... 24
8.4 COUNTBLANK......................................................................................................... 24
8.5 SUMIF ...................................................................................................................... 25
Guide 35: Using formulae and functions in Microsoft Excel 2003 i

8.6 COUNTIF.................................................................................................................. 25
8.7 SUMPRODUCT ........................................................................................................ 25
9 Lookup functions............................................................................................. 26
9.1 CHOOSE .................................................................................................................. 26
9.2 VLOOKUP ................................................................................................................ 27
9.3 TRANSPOSE............................................................................................................ 29
10 Reference functions ........................................................................................ 30
10.1 ADDRESS ................................................................................................................ 30
10.2 OFFSET.................................................................................................................... 31
11 Functions as arguments to other functions.................................................. 31
12 Errors ................................................................................................................ 31
12.1 Trapping errors using logical functions..................................................................... 32
12.2 Tracing errors ........................................................................................................... 33
13 Using labels instead of cell references.......................................................... 34
14 Working with names ........................................................................................ 36
14.1 Names of cells and ranges ....................................................................................... 36
14.2 Defining a name using the Name box ...................................................................... 36
14.3 Creating names from text cells ................................................................................. 37
14.4 Pasting names into formulae .................................................................................... 37
14.5 Applying names to existing formulae........................................................................ 38
14.6 Moving to a named cell or range .............................................................................. 38
14.7 Producing a list of names ......................................................................................... 39
15 Working with arrays ........................................................................................ 39
15.1 Examples .................................................................................................................. 39
15.2 Changing cells in an array range.............................................................................. 40
15.3 Array constants......................................................................................................... 41
16 Miscellaneous .................................................................................................. 41
16.1 Recalculation ............................................................................................................ 41
16.2 Formula bar formatting ............................................................................................. 42
16.3 Replacing formulae with their resulting values ......................................................... 42
16.4 Circular references ................................................................................................... 43
16.5 3-D formulae ............................................................................................................. 43
16.6 Euro currency tools................................................................................................... 43
16.7 R1C1 reference style ................................................................................................ 44
17 Analysis Toolpack ........................................................................................... 45
17.1 Analysis ToolPak not installed.................................................................................. 45
17.2 Using the Analysis ToolPak...................................................................................... 45
18 What-if analysis ............................................................................................... 45
19 Other Excel documentation ............................................................................ 46
ii Guide 35: Using formulae and functions in Microsoft Excel 2003

1 Creating formulae
The real strength of a worksheet lies in its ability to carry out calculations. A
worksheet that does not contain calculations could have been created
using a word-processing package instead.
An Excel workbook called Data_for_Calculations.xls has been prepared
for you to use while working through this Guide.
If you are using a stand-alone PC, you may like to get a copy of this from
the ITS WWW pages under Information | Guides | Sample Files
(http://www.dur.ac.uk/its/info/guides/files/excel/).
If you are using the Networked PC service:
1 Activate Excel.
2 From the File menu, select Open.
3 Click on the 6 to the right of the Look in: box.
4 Select the drive called workfile on ‘dudley’(T:).
5 Double-click on the folder its.
6 Double-click on the folder Excel.
7 Select the file Data_for_Calculations.xls and click the Open
button.
1.1 Entering a formula

All formulae begin with an equals (=) sign. If you forget to type the =, the
rest of the line will probably be entered into the cell as a piece of text.
1 In the Data_for_Calculations workbook, click in B2 and type

=8+4
The formula will be displayed on the formula bar.
2 Press the Enter key (or one of the arrow keys) to lock the formula
in.
The cell B2 now contains a formula (=8+4), but the answer 12 is displayed
on-screen.
3 Click in B2 to check the formula.

Formulae can contain values, cell references, mathematical operators and
functions.
Guide 35: Using formulae and functions in Microsoft Excel 2003 1

1.2 Order of priority of operators
The mathematical operators are shown below.
- Negation (negative number)
% Percent
^ Exponentiation (to the power of)
* and / Multiplication and division
+ and - Addition and subtraction
& Text joining
= < > <= >= Comparison

<>
They are listed in decreasing order of priority starting with negation which
has the highest priority (done first) and ending with comparison which has
the lowest (done last). If a formula contains operators with the same
priority, they are evaluated from left to right.
If you want to alter the order of evaluation, use parentheses (brackets) to
group expressions. Any parts of a formula that are in parentheses are done
first.
It is important to fully understand the order in which Excel carries out a
calculation.
1 Click in B3 and type

=2*9+12/6-4
2 Press the Enter key.

3 Make sure that you understand why the answer is 16.
1.3 Editing formulae

A formula can be edited in the same way as any other entry in a cell.
To delete a cell reference or any other character, select it and press the
Backspace or Delete key.
To replace a cell reference, select it and click in the replacement cell.
To add to the formula, position the insertion point where the extra
characters are to go and type them in.
To undo changes that have not been locked in, press the Esc key or click
the Cancel button (red cross) on the formula bar.
To undo changes that have been locked in, click the Undo button on the
Standard toolbar, press Ctrl/Z or select Undo from the Edit menu.
2 Guide 35: Using formulae and functions in Microsoft Excel 2003

1.4 Experimenting with parentheses
Now try editing the formula in B3. Put parentheses round different parts of
the expression, as suggested below, and see how they affect the answer.
When you have more than one pair of brackets in a formula, Excel displays
them in different colours on the formula bar.
Formula Answer
=(2*9)+12/(6-4) 24
=2*(9+12)/6-4 3
=(2*9+12)/6-4 1
=2*(9+12/(6-4)) 30
1.5 Constructing your own formula

In order to practise creating a formula, try the following:
1 Think of an integer (whole) number. (For checking purposes it is

probably advisable to make it less than 100.)
2 Enter a calculation in E3 that will carry out all the following steps:
• add 20 to the number you thought of
• multiply the result by 4
• subtract 8 from the result
• divide that result by 2
• subtract twice the number you thought of
The answer should be 36. If it isn’t, check your formula, paying particular
attention to the brackets, and edit it as necessary.
1.6 Using cell references

In the examples so far, you have used actual values. Formulae can also
contain cells references. You can practise using cell references by adding
up five pairs of numbers.
The range B10:C14 already contains the data shown below.
7 100
12 216
15 130
19 80
24 50
1.6.1 Typing the cell references in a formula

First, try typing the cell references in a formula:

1 Click in D10 and type
=B10+C10

(You could type =b10+c10 if you prefer. Excel does not mind whether the
cell reference is in upper or lower case letters.)
3 Check that the answer is 107.
1.6.2 Clicking on the cells to be included in a formula

Now, try clicking on cells instead of typing their cell references:

=
2 Click in B11 and note how Excel enters that reference into the
formula.
3 Type
+
4 Click in C11.
6 Check that the answer is 228.
1.7 Copying a formula

A formula can be copied to another cell in the same way as text or
numbers.
1 Click in D11.
2 Click the Copy button.
3 Click in D12.
4 Click on the Paste button (and ignore the smart tag if it appears).
Another way of copying is to use the Auto Fill handle:
1 Click in D12.
2 Move the cursor to the bottom right-hand corner of the cell. The
cursor shape will change to a small black plus (+) sign.
3 Hold down the mouse button, drag to cell D14 and then release the
button.
The formula in D11 was =B11+C11. When that was copied and pasted into
D12 it became =B12+C12. This is because Excel, unless instructed
otherwise, works with relative cell references. It thinks about where cells
are in relation to the cell in which the formula is entered.

This means that Excel thinks of that particular formula as
“take the contents of the cell two columns to the left of the cell containing
the formula then add the contents of the cell one column to the left of the
cell containing the formula”.
1.8 Absolute cell references

Sometimes you will need to work with absolute cell references that refer to
cells by their fixed position in the worksheet.
1 Scroll down the worksheet until you can see the range B20:F24 with
data about VAT.
First, complete the VAT column:
1 Click in C21.
2 Type
=B21*F21
and press the Enter key.

The formula in C21 gives the correct answer (£19.60) but is not suitable for
copying. To demonstrate this,
3 Copy the formula in C21 to C22.

The value shown will be £0.00. This is because F21 became F22 when
copied and the value in F22 is zero.
When you are going to copy a formula and do not want a cell reference to
change, you should use an absolute cell reference. A dollar symbol, $, is
used to fix a reference. When placed in front of a column name it fixes the
column and in front of a row number it fixes the row.
So, for example, $F$21 means always column F and always row 21.
Note: If you click anywhere within a cell reference in a formula, and press
the F4 button, dollar symbols will be inserted for you automatically. You can
have mixed references such as $Z34 (column is fixed, row is relative) and
Z$34 (column is relative, row is fixed). Keep pressing F4 if you wish to have
mixed references.
Now change the formula in C21.
1 Double-click in C21.
2 Edit the formula to read
=B21*$F$21
3 Press Enter.
4 Copy the formula in C21 down to cell C24 and check that the
resulting values are correct.
Finally, complete the Cost with VAT column.

1 Click in D21 and enter a formula for the cost including VAT (cost
without VAT plus the VAT to be paid on each item).
2 Copy that formula down to D24.
Your results should be as shown below.
Cost
Cost
without VAT VAT rate
with VAT
VAT
£112.00 £19.60 £131.60 17.50%
£200.00 £35.00 £235.00
£119.00 £20.83 £139.83
£224.00 £39.20 £263.20
When entering formulae you can, if you wish, refer to cells in other
worksheets of the same workbook and to cells in other workbooks.
2 Adding numbers
There are a couple of easy ways of adding up a column of numbers. To
access some suitable data,
1 Click on the worksheet tab Sneezes.

You will see a table with the heading Sneeze count for Monday. The
totals are to be filled in as described below.
2.1 Adding a column of numbers using the Σ button

Try using the AutoSum (Σ) button to add up a column of numbers:
1 Highlight the cells from C7 to C13 inclusive. (Note that Excel

displays the message Sum=128 on the status bar.)
2 Click on the AutoSum (Σ) button on the toolbar.
3 Click away from the selected area.
The answer 128 is displayed in C13; the formula in that cell is actually
=SUM(C7:C12).
4 Click in C13 to see that formula.

SUM is one of the built-in functions in Excel, probably the one most often
used.
If you are sure that there is no ambiguity as to which cells are to be
included in the calculation, you can simply select the cell below the
numbers that are to be used and click the AutoSum button.
Note: Clicking on the arrow next to the AutoSum button gives quick
access to the functions Average, Count, Max and Min, and to all the built-
in functions (select More Functions).

2.2 Adding a column of numbers using the SUM function
Now try using the SUM function:
1 Click in D13.
2 Type
=SUM(D7:D11)

If you wish, instead of typing D7:D11 you could just highlight those particular
cells. Excel would fill in the description of the range and supply the closing
bracket.
2.3 Adding rows and columns of numbers

1 Scroll down the worksheet to the table with the heading Sneeze
count for Tuesday.
The row Totals and the column Number of sneezes in eight hours can
be filled in quickly by using the AutoSum button. Again, you select your
data plus the area where the totals are to appear as follows:
2 Highlight the cells from C20 to E26 inclusive.

3 Click on the AutoSum (Σ) button on the toolbar.
4 Click away from the selected area.
This procedure is often used when adding up tables of costs (currency).
3 Functions
A function is a predefined formula that operates on one or more values and
returns one or more values.
You have seen how using the SUM function can save you a lot of typing.
For example, the formula
=SUM(A1:A15)
is considerably shorter than
=A1+A2+A3+A4+A5+A6+A7+A8+A9+A10+A11+A12+A13+A14+A15
All functions consist of a function name (such as SUM) followed by a set of

arguments (separated by commas) in brackets. The arguments specify the
values or cells to be used by the function.
The maximum number of arguments allowed in a function is 30. In the
example above, there is just one argument, namely, A1:A15.
A few functions have no arguments but the brackets are still needed, as in
the following examples:

=2*PI() which calculates the value of 2π
=RAND() which returns a random number that is greater than

or equal to 0, and less than 1.
If you enter a space between the name of a function and the opening
bracket, Excel will warn you that it has found an error.
Excel has more than 300 built-in functions. Some of them perform complex
calculations but the examples that follow are of the more straightforward
kind.
If there is not a built-in function that does precisely what you need, you can
actually create your own custom functions but that involves using Visual
Basic code and will not be discussed in this document.
3.1 Entering functions

You can enter a function into a worksheet by
• typing it in (as you did in section 2.2)
• clicking the Insert Function (fx) button (to the left of the formula bar)
• selecting Insert | Function
If you type in the name of the function, use lower case letters. Then, when
you either press the Enter key or select another cell, Excel will change the
name to uppercase providing it has been typed correctly. So, if lowercase
letters remain, you will be alerted to the fact that you have typed the name
incorrectly and you can correct it.
When you click the Insert Function button or select Insert | Function, the
Insert Function dialog box will be displayed.
If you know the name of the function you want to use but cannot remember
which category it is in, in the Insert Function dialog box,
either,
type the name in the Search for a function: box and click Go
or,
select All in the Or select a category: box (this gives a complete
alphabetical list of available functions).
If you feel that you might need extra help in creating your function, click on
the Help on this function button in the bottom left corner of the Insert
Function dialog box. The Microsoft Excel Help window will then be
displayed (as in the picture that follows).

To illustrate how to build up a function, examples of various types of
function will now be considered.
4 Mathematical functions
4.1 SUM
First add up the numbers in the Number of sneezes in eight hours
column of the Sneeze count for Monday table as follows:
1 Make sure that the Sneezes worksheet is still the active one.
2 Scroll up to the first table, Sneeze count for Monday.
3 Click in E13.
4 Click the Insert Function (fx) button, to the left of the formula bar.
The Insert Function dialog box will open.
5 In the Or select a category: box, select Math & Trig.

6 In the Select a function: box, scroll until you can select SUM.
Note that a description of the selected function is given in the Insert
Function dialog box.
7 Click on OK.
The Function Arguments dialog box appears. This contains one edit box
for each argument of your function.
Note how Excel has tried (but failed) to guess what you want to do and has
filled in the range C13:D13 (which would actually give the same result).

8 If necessary, move the Function Arguments dialog box (just drag
it) so that you can see cells E7:E11.
9 Select cells E7:E11 and note how Excel fills in that information in the
Number1 box.
Sometimes you may prefer to type in the range description yourself rather
than use the selection technique.
10 Click on the OK button.

11 Check that the resulting total is correct (199).
Note: Occasionally, you may need to see more of your worksheet than can
be achieved by just moving the Function Arguments dialog box. Whenever
you wish, a dialog box can be shrunk as follows:
• Click on the collapse dialog button at the right-hand end of the edit
box. (The dialog box will collapse.)
• Select your cells.
• Click the collapse dialog button again. (The dialog box will return to
its original size.)
4.2 ROMAN
Suppose you want to convert some arabic numbers to roman (as text) but
you do not know whether there is a function that will do this.
1 Click in D32.
2 Click the Insert Function (fx) button.
3 In the Search for a function: box, type roman and click Go.
You will see the function name ROMAN listed in the Select a function:
pane, and, below that, a description of what that particular function does.
4 Make sure that ROMAN is selected and click on OK.

5 In the Function Arguments dialog box, type C32 in the Number
pane.

6 Click on OK.
7 Copy that formula down through cells D33:D38.
Arabic number Roman number
5 V
6 VI
21 XXI
40 XL
50 L
100 C
900 CM
Throughout the rest of this document instructions will be given for entering
a function by typing it in, rather than by using the Insert Function dialog
box. You can use whichever method suits you best.
4.3 Random numbers

Excel provides functions for generating random numbers.
RAND() returns a random number, greater than or equal to 0, and less
than 1
RANDBETWEEN(bottom,top) returns a random integer number, greater
than or equal to bottom, and less than or equal to top
For both functions, the number generated changes on recalculation.
If you want to generate a set of random numbers and then freeze them:
• use RAND or RANDBETWEEN, select the formulae, copy them,
select Edit|Paste Special and choose Values (see section 16.3)
• use the Tools|Data Analysis|Random Number Generation tool (see
section 17) which produces constants
5 Text functions
So far, you have only dealt with numbers. There are several functions that
enable you to manipulate text strings, convert numeric entries into text
strings and convert numeric text entries into numbers.
To access some suitable data,
1 Click on the Text tab of the Data_for_Calculations workbook.
5.1 REPT
The REPT function gives you a quick way of filling a cell with a string of
characters repeated a specified number of times.
General form:
=REPT(text,number_of_times)
Example 1: Create a text string containing 107 asterisks

1 Click in B3.
2 Type
=rept(“*”,107)
and press Enter.

A row of asterisks should appear on the worksheet.
Example 2: Repeat some text eight times
1 Click in B17.
2 Type
=rept(“please cut here.... ”,8)
and press Enter.
5.2 TRIM
Leading or trailing spaces often prevent entries in a worksheet from sorting
correctly. The TRIM function eliminates leading, trailing, and extra blank
characters from a string, leaving only a single space between words.
General form:
=TRIM(text)
Example: Create a tidy version of some untidy text
1 Click in B2 and look at the formula bar to see the extra spaces at the
beginning of the heading and between the words.
Now create a neater version on row 4.
2 Click in B4.
3 Type
=trim(b2)
and press Enter.
Note: The CLEAN function is similar to TRIM except that it deals with non-
printable characters like tabs and program-specific codes. This can be
particularly useful when dealing with data imported from other programs.
5.3 CONCATENATE
This function can be used to build up a long string from shorter strings. It
has the same effect as using the & operator mentioned in section 1.2.
General form:
=CONCATENATE(text1,text2,…)
with up to 30 text arguments.

Example: Join three text strings

Create each person’s name from their first name and their surname.
1 Click in D7.
2 Type
=concatenate(c7,” “,b7)
and press Enter.

The space between the quote marks is needed to give a space between
the two parts of the resulting name. Without it you would get peterlee.
3 Copy the formula in D7 down through cells D8:D15.
5.4 UPPER, LOWER and PROPER

These three functions alter the case of characters in text strings. UPPER
converts text to uppercase and LOWER converts text to lowercase.
PROPER capitalises the first letter of each word (and any other letters in
the string that do not follow another letter) and all other letters are
converted to lowercase.
General forms:
=UPPER(text)
=LOWER(text)
=PROPER(text)
Example 1: Improve the appearance of the names in D7:D15.
1 Click in E7.
2 Type
=proper(d7)
and press Enter.

3 Copy that formula down through cells E8:E15.
4 Check the capitalisation is correct.
Example 2: Capitalise the birthday greeting.
1 Click in C20.
2 Type
=upper(b20)
and press Enter.
6 Dates and times

In Excel, the basic unit of time is the day. Dates are stored as sequential
numbers known as serial values.

6.1 Date systems
Excel supports two date systems, the 1900 and the 1904 date systems.
The default system for Microsoft Excel for Windows is 1900 so the date
serial value 1 corresponds to January 1st, 1900. The maximum value
2958465 represents December 31st, 9999.
Excel for a Macintosh uses the 1904 system and its date serial value 1
corresponds to January 2nd, 1904. If a file created in Excel version 2 or later
on a Mac is opened in Excel for Windows, dates are automatically changed
to the 1900 date system. Similarly, when an Excel for Windows file is
opened on a Mac, the date system is changed to 1904. However, care
should be taken when transferring workbooks between a PC and a Mac.
If necessary, the date system used in calculations can be changed. From
the Tools menu, select Options; click the Calculation tab and under
Workbook options select the date system you require.
6.2 Entering dates and times

The time of day is a decimal value that represents the fraction of a day
between when it began (midnight) and the specified time. So, noon is
represented by 0.5 (half a day).
The way that a date or time is displayed in a cell depends on which number
format has been applied to the cell. The number format chosen does not
affect the actual cell value.
If Excel recognises that you have typed a date or time, it changes the
formatting of the cell from General number to one of the built-in date/time
formats (these are right-aligned).
If Excel does not recognise your date or time, it will be entered as text (left-
aligned in the cell).
When you want to enter a date and a time in the same cell, just separate
them with a space. If your time is based on the 12-hour clock, type a space
followed by AM (or A), PM (or P). Otherwise Excel assumes you are using
a 24-hour clock.
The serial value of a date and the decimal fraction of a time can be
displayed in a cell by changing that cell’s format to the General format.
6.3 How Excel interprets dates

When two digits are entered for the year, Excel interprets them as follows:
00 to 29 2000 to 2029
30 to 99 1930 to 1999
This default can be changed (see section 6.4.2).
To be really sure that Excel is interpreting a year correctly, type all four
digits (for example, 2019 rather than 19). You should be as precise as
possible when entering dates and try to avoid ambiguous situations.

For example,
14-Dec is 14th December this year
December 14 is 1st December in 2014
32-Dec is not accepted as a date (a green flag appears in the
corner of the cell with an associated error type smart tag)
6.4 Changing the default settings
6.4.1 To display four-digit years

When you enter a date, it is automatically formatted to display a two-digit
year. On a stand-alone PC you can change the default date format so that
it shows four-digit years instead.
From the Start menu, point to Settings and then click Control Panel.
Double-click Regional Settings (or Regional Options) and click the Date
tab. In the Short date format list, click on one of the formats that uses four
digits for the year (“yyyy”).
6.4.2 To change the interpretation of two-digit years

If you are using Windows 98 or later on a stand-alone PC you can change
the century that Excel (and all your Windows programs) assumes for a two-
digit year.
From the Start menu, point to Settings and click Control Panel. Double-
click Regional Settings (or Regional Options) and click the Date tab. In the
When a two-digit year is entered, interpret as a year between box,
change the setting for the upper limit for the century (the lower limit
changes automatically).
Note: The characters recognised as date and time separators are also set
in the Regional Settings.
6.5 Doing calculations with dates and times

Since dates and times are values, they can be added, subtracted and
included in calculations. When entering a date or time in a calculation, put it
inside quotation marks.
For example,
=”21/8/2000”-”18/7/2000”
gives the answer 34.

You may like to experiment now with some dates and times.
6.5.1 TODAY
1 Click on the Date&Time tab of the workbook.
2 Click in C2.

3 Type
=today()
and press Enter.

Today’s date will be displayed in the d/m/yy format where d represents the
day, m the month and yy the last two digits of the year.
When typing in a date, it is all right to use just the last two digits of the year
if your date is between 1930 and 2029. If however you are entering a date
outside this range, you must type all four digits.
Tip: Press Ctrl/; to enter the current date in a cell or formula. To enter the
current time, hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys and press the colon (:) key.
6.5.2 NOW
Next try using a combined date and time format:
1 Click in C3.
2 Type
=now()
and press Enter.

Today’s date and the current time will be displayed in the d/m/yy h:mm
format where h represents hour, and mm the minutes (date as before).
6.5.3 WEEKDAY
You may already know on which day of the week you were born. You can
check that using the function WEEKDAY.
1 Enter your date of birth in B7.

2 Click in B10.
3 Click the Insert Function button.
4 In the Or select a category: box, select Date & Time.
5 In the Select a function: box, select WEEKDAY.
6 Click OK.
7 In the Serial_number box of the Function Arguments dialog box,
type B7 (or click in that cell).
8 Click in the Return_type box and read the information about
Return_type values.
9 Type 1 and click OK.
The answer will be a number in the range 1 to 7 (1=Sunday, 2=Monday and
so on). Later, in section 9.1, you will learn how to show the actual name of
the day.

6.5.4 Adding and subtracting dates and times
Dates and times can be added and subtracted just like numbers. Have a
look at the Railway timetable that starts in cell B13.
To calculate the duration of each journey:
1 Click in D16.
2 Type
=C16-B16
and press Enter.

3 Copy that formula down through cells D17 to D25.
To see what the shortest (minimum) journey time is, use the statistical
function MIN.
1 Click in D27.
2 Type
=min(D16:D25)
and press Enter.

That will show the shortest journey time as 00:15.
To show the time in minutes:
3 Click in D28.
4 Type
=minute(D27)
and press Enter.

The shortest journey time will be displayed as 15.
6.6 Specialist date and financial functions

If you have installed the Analysis ToolPak add-in (see section 16.6), you
will have available to you:
• a set of specialised date functions to help with things like payrolls and
work schedules
• a set of financial functions to assist with business calculations (in
addition to those available in the Financial function category)
7 Logical functions
A logical value is either TRUE or FALSE.
There are six logical operators
= Equal to

> Greater than
< Less than
>= Greater than or equal to
<= Less than or equal to
<> Not equal to
7.1 Conditional tests

A conditional test is an equation that compares two items. These items can
be numbers, functions, formulae, labels or logical values.
A conditional test must include at least one logical operator.
The result of a conditional test is either TRUE or FALSE.
A few examples would probably help to explain about conditional tests. To
access some suitable data,
1 Click on the Logical tab of the workbook.

Example 1: Is the value in B2 less than 4?
1 Click in D7.
2 Type
=B2<4
and press Enter.

The result should be TRUE.
Example 2: Is the sum of the values in C2 and C3 greater than or equal to
8?
1 Click in D8.
2 Type
=C2+C3>=8
and press Enter.

The result should be FALSE.
Example 3: Does the cell B4 contain the text Hello?
1 Click in D9.
2 Type
=B4=”Hello”
or
=b4=”hello”

and press Enter. (It is not case sensitive.)
The result should be TRUE.
Example 4: Is the value in C3 the same as the value in C4?
1 Click in D10.
2 Type
=C3=C4
and press Enter.

The result should be FALSE.
7.2 IF
The IF function is very useful. It will carry out a conditional test and then
return one value if the condition is true but a different value if the condition
is false.
General form:
=IF(condition, value_if_true, value_if_false)
Example 1: Quality of a mark
1 Look at the area of cells F2:G5 on the Logical worksheet.

A mark is felt to be Good if it is greater than 49 and Poor otherwise.
2 Click in G3 and enter

=IF(F3>49,”Good”,”Poor”)
3 Copy that formula down through cells G4 and G5.

The results should be Good, Poor, Poor.
Example 2: Coding
1 Look at the area of cells I2:J6.

The letters are to be coded — 1 for M, and 0 for all other letters.
2 Click in J4 and enter

=IF(I4=”M”,1,0)
This will return the value 1 if I4 contains M, otherwise it will return the value
0.
3 Copy that formula down through cells J5 and J6.

The results should be 0, 1, and 0.

Example 3: Exam results
1 Look at the table of examination results in B13:K24.

Suppose that a student is deemed to have passed if he/she gets a total
mark of 200 or more but otherwise failed. Fill in the Result 1 column
accordingly:
2 Click in I16.
3 Type
=if(H16>=200,”Pass”,”Fail”)
and press Enter.

4 Copy that formula down through cells I17:I24.
The results should be Pass, Pass, Fail, Pass, Fail, Pass, Pass, Pass,
Fail.
7.3 Nested IF statements

Sometimes your problem may be so involved that you cannot solve it by
using just the techniques you have met so far. An extremely useful feature
is the ability to nest IF functions (put one inside another).
You can nest up to seven IF functions as long as the number of characters
in your formula does not exceed the maximum number of characters that
can be entered in a cell.
There is not a single general form but the following is typical:
=IF(condition1,value1,IF(condition2,value2,value3))
The three arguments for the first IF are:

• condition1
• value1
• IF(condition2,value2,value3)
The three arguments for the second IF are:
• condition2
• value2
• value3
The value taken by the cell containing this formula will be as shown in the
table below.
condition1 condition2 value
TRUE value1
FALSE TRUE value2
FALSE FALSE value3

As an example, look at the table of examination results in B13:K24.
The Action column is to be completed using the following rules:
• If a student has passed, the result is “No action”.
• If a student has failed (in the Result 1 column) but has a total greater
than 99, he/she has to “Resit”.
• If a student has failed (in the Result 1 column) and has a total less
than 100, he/she has to “Leave”.
Use a nested IF statement as follows:
1 Click in K16.
2 Type
=if(I16=”Pass”,”No action”,if(H16>99,”Resit”,”Leave”))
and press Enter.

3 Copy that formula down through cells K17:K24.
4 Check your results make sense.
7.4 AND, OR and NOT

When building up a conditional test you sometimes need quite complicated
conditions. These three functions can help to simplify the job. They use the
logical operators listed at the beginning of section 7. The functions AND and
OR can take up to 30 logical arguments whereas NOT has only one
argument.
General forms:
=AND(logical1,logical2,…,logical30)
=OR(logical1,logical2,…,logical30)
=NOT(logical1)
The arguments for the functions can be

• conditional tests
• references to cells containing logical values
• arrays of logical values
AND
If all the arguments in an AND function are true, the result is TRUE.
If one or more arguments are false, the result is FALSE.
OR
If at least one of the arguments in an OR function is true, the result is TRUE.
If all the arguments in an OR function are false, the result is FALSE.
NOT

This function negates a condition.
If the argument in a NOT function is false, the result is TRUE.
If the argument in a NOT function is true, the result is FALSE.
A few very simple examples follow. Just read them and make sure you
understand the result.
Formula Result
=AND(5>3,80<96) TRUE
=AND(2*24<67,7<0.34,4*4=2*8) FALSE
=OR(4*4=8*2,56>297) TRUE
=OR(2=3,3=4,4=5) FALSE
=NOT(5<3) TRUE
=NOT(6=6) FALSE
In your own worksheets, you will probably use logical conditions involving
some cell references rather than just values as above.
Have a look again at the table of examination results. Suppose that this
time a student is said to have passed if he/she gets at least 50 marks in
each module. (This means that good marks in one module cannot
compensate for poor marks in another.)
This definition of pass/fail is to be entered in the Result 2 column.
1 Click in J16.
2 Type
=if(and(D16>=50,E16>=50,F16>=50,G16>=50),”Pass”,”Fail”)
and press Enter.

3 Copy that formula down through cells J17:J24.
The results should be Fail, Pass, Fail, Pass, Fail, Pass, Fail, Pass, and
Fail.
8 Statistical functions
Excel provides a great deal of assistance when it comes to analysing
statistical data. There are several built-in functions, a few of which will be
looked at in this document. In addition, the Analysis ToolPak can be used
(see section 16.6). This is an add-in module with a collection of functions
and tools that enable you to produce rank-and-percentile tables, perform
regression analysis, apply Fourier transformations to your data, and so on.
Consult Excel’s online Help for details.
Some data is available for you to experiment with statistical functions.
1 Click on the Stats worksheet tab.

8.1 AVERAGE
The AVERAGE function calculates the average, or mean, of the numbers in
a range by adding the numeric values and then dividing by the number of
values.
General form:
=AVERAGE(range) or
=AVERAGE(number1,number2,number3,…)
Cells containing text or logical values, and empty cells, are ignored but cells
containing a zero value are included.
Example: Calculate the average number of Caraway Thyme plants sold in

a day.
1 Click in H36 (the first green cell).

2 Type
=average(D29:J29)
and press Enter.

The answer will be 14.
This illustrates what the AVERAGE function does when one or more cells in
the range do not contain data (F29 in this example). The function adds up
all the numbers (84) but divides by the number of cells that contain data (6
in this case) which gives 14.
If you wanted to add up all the numbers (84) but divide by the number of
days in the week (7), you could use =sum(D29:J29)/7 which would give the
answer 12. Try entering that formula in H37.
Note: Excel provides an AVERAGEA function, which is the same as
AVERAGE except that text and logical values are included in the
calculation. See Excel's Help for information about other A functions such
as COUNTA, MAXA, MINA, STDEVA, STDEVPA, VARA and VARPA.
8.2 MAX
This function returns the largest value in a given range.
General form:
=MAX(range) or
=MAX(number1,number2,number3,…)
Example: Calculate the maximum number of Common Mint plants sold in

a day.
1 Click in H38.
2 Type

=max(D19:J19)
and press Enter.

The answer should be 31. There is a corresponding function MIN that
calculates the smallest value.
8.3 COUNT
This function works out how many cells in a given range contain numbers
(including dates and formulae with numerical answers). It ignores blank
cells and cells containing text, logical or error values.
General form:
=COUNT(range) or
=COUNT(number1,number2,number3,…)
Example: Calculate how many different kinds of herb were sold on

Thursday.
1 Click in H39.
2 Type
=count(G13:G33)
and press Enter.

The answer should be 9.
If you want to count all non-blank cells, irrespective of what they contain,
use COUNTA.
8.4 COUNTBLANK
COUNTBLANK counts the number of empty cells in a range.
General form:
=COUNTBLANK(range)
You have to be careful with this function because a cell may sometimes
appear to be blank when it isn’t really. This could be because it contains the
null string “”, a space “ “, or a formula with answer zero.
Example: Calculate the number of days when no Pink Hyssop was sold.
1 Click in H40 and enter

=countblank(D16:J16)

8.5 SUMIF
This function tests the value in each cell of a range before adding the
contents of specified cells to a total.
General form:
=SUMIF(range_to_test,criteria,range_to_sum)
where
• range_to_test is the range to be tested
• criteria stipulates what the test is
• range_to_sum is the range containing the values to be summed if the
test is satisfied
Example: Calculate the number of Thyme plants sold on Sunday.

Here we want to look down the first column of the table to find rows where
the Name entered is Thyme, and then add the corresponding value in the
Sun column to the total.

=sumif(B13:B33,”Thyme”,J13:J33) or
=sumif(B13:B33,”Thyme”,Sun)
8.6 COUNTIF
This function counts the number of cells in a range that match specified
criteria.
General form:
=COUNTIF(range,criteria)
Example:
Suppose you want to count how many cells in the Sales of herbs table
contain values greater than 20.

=countif(D13:J33,”>20”)
8.7 SUMPRODUCT
When given two or more sets of numbers, this function multiplies the
corresponding values together, adds up those products, and returns the
sum. Any non-numeric values are treated as though they are zeros.

General form:
=SUMPRODUCT(array1,array2,array3,…)
Example:
Look at the table in the cells B46:H53 giving dimensions of five panels that
are to be painted. The total area to be painted can be obtained by adding
up the areas (height multiplied by width) of the individual panels.
1 Click in F52 and enter

=sumproduct(D49:H49,D50:H50)
The answer should be 48.06 (square metres).

Some related functions are:
=SUMSQ(number1,number2,number3,…) which adds up the squares of the
numbers in the arguments
=SUMX2PY2(x_array,y_array) which calculates the sum of the sums of the
squares of the corresponding values in the x and y arrays, which is
Σ(x2+y2).
=SUMX2MY2(x_array,y_array) which calculates Σ(x2-y2).
=SUMXMY2(x_array,y_array)which calculates Σ(x-y)2.
There are many other functions to help with statistical calculations. Browse
through what is offered in the Statistical category of the Insert Function
dialog box.
The Analysis Toolpak (see section 16.6) will enable you to do many things
of a statistical nature such as
• produce rank-and-percentile tables
• extract random or periodic samples from a data set
• perform regression analysis
• apply Fourier transforms to data
9 Lookup functions
If you have information stored in a list or table, there are functions to help
you.
To consider specific examples,
1 Click on the LookUp tab of the workbook.
9.1 CHOOSE
This function chooses a value or action to perform from a list of values,
based on an index number.

General form:
=CHOOSE(index_num,value1,value2,… )
where the values can be up to 29 numbers, cell references, defined names,

formulae, functions or text arguments.
Example 1: Show season of year
1 Look at Table 1 on the LookUp worksheet.

This shows some numbers corresponding to times of year (1=Spring;
2=Summer, and so on). The CHOOSE function can be used to produce the
appropriate text, with the help of the words in G5:G8.
2 Click in C6 and enter

=choose(B6,$G$5,$G$6,$G$7,$G$8)
The dollars ($) are needed because the formula is going to be copied.
3 Click in C6 and drag the formula down through cells C7:C12 (use
the Fill Handle).
The results should be Autumn, Winter, Summer, Spring, Summer,
Autumn, and Winter.
Example 2: Day of the week
1 Look at Table 2.
2 Click in C15 and enter today’s date (type it in or use the TODAY
function — see section 6.5.1).
3 Click in F15 and enter
=weekday(C15,1)
The result will be a number (1=Sunday, 2=Monday, and so on).

It would be better to display the name of the day (Sun, Mon, and so on).
So,
4 Edit the formula in F15 to read

=choose(WEEKDAY(C15,1),”Sun”,”Mon”,”Tue”,”Wed”,”Thu”,”Fri”,”Sat”)
The correct day of the week should then be displayed.
9.2 VLOOKUP
The VLOOKUP function will retrieve information from a table (which can
itself be part of a larger table). You do not have to know precisely where the
value you want is stored. The function decides which row of the table is to
be used — it finds the position, in the first column of the table, of the largest
value that is less than or equal to a lookup_value supplied by you. You tell
it which column is to be used for retrieving the information you require.

General form:
=VLOOKUP(lookup_value,table_array,col_index,range_lookup)
where
• lookup_value is the value to be found in the first column of the table
(it can be a value, reference or text string).
• table_array is the array (or range name) that defines the table.
If range_lookup is TRUE, the values in the leftmost column of the
table must be sorted in ascending order.
If range_lookup is FALSE, the leftmost column of the table does not
have to be sorted.
• col_index tells the function which column of the table to look in to find
the function’s result. This number must be greater than or equal to 1
and never greater than the number of columns in the table.
• range_lookup is a logical value that determines whether lookup_value
has to be matched exactly (set range_lookup to FALSE) or
approximately (set range_lookup to TRUE or omit it completely).
The function works with vertical tables — those where the comparison
values are in the leftmost column. These values can be either numbers or
text.
If your table is a horizontal one (with the comparison values in the first row),
use the similar function called HLOOKUP.
Example 1:
Look at Table 3 on the LookUp worksheet and find the value in Column 4
of the table corresponding to the largest value in Column 1 that is not
greater than 30.
Here Column 1 refers to the first column in the table (not to the first column
of the worksheet). Other columns in the table are counted relative to that
first column.
Because you are looking for the largest value that is not greater than 30,
the lookup_value is 30.
1 Click in E28 and enter the formula

=vlookup(30,C20:F24,4)
You should get the answer 18 as explained below.

The range C20:F24 determines the extent of the table. In Column 1, the
largest value that is not greater than 30 is 25 and that can be found in Row
3. The 4 in the function indicates that Column 4 is to be used. The value in
the table in row 3 and column 4 is the answer (18).
Example 2:
Now experiment with Table 4 (scroll down until you can see it).
1 Click in C42 and type the name of one of the listed trees,

Oak
2 Click in C43 and enter a formula that will look up the tree in the table
and return the answer as to whether it is Evergreen or Deciduous.
Enter
=vlookup(C42,B34:C39,2,FALSE)
FALSE was used to get an exact match.

The result should be Deciduous.
3 Change the value in C42 to a different tree, Holly, and check that
the answer has automatically changed to Evergreen.
Example 3:
If you would like to try using HLOOKUP (the corresponding function for a
horizontal table), scroll down to Table 5.
1 Click in C56 and type the name of one of the countries listed in the
table.
2 Click in C57 and enter a formula that will give the Gross Profit for the
country in C56.
3 Check the answer is correct.
4 Change the value in C56 and check that the value in C57 changes
automatically and correctly.
Note: If your comparison values and results are in separate areas of your
worksheet, consider using the function LOOKUP.
9.3 TRANSPOSE
You can change the orientation of a rectangular array of values from
vertical to horizontal (or vice versa). The first row of a horizontal array
becomes the first column of the new vertical array (and so on).
General form:
=TRANSPOSE(array)
This function must be entered as an array formula into a range that has as
many rows and columns as the original array has columns and rows.
Example:
Scroll down to Table 6 in cells B63:E75. It shows distributions of word
lengths in some letters signed Quintus Curtius Snodgrass that may have
been written by Mark Twain. The table has 13 rows and 4 columns. It could
be transposed and stored in B79:N82 (4 rows by 13 columns) as follows:
1 Select the cells B79:N82 (the location for the transposed table).
2 Type the following formula, but do not press the Enter key

=transpose(B63:E75)
3 Press the Ctrl, Shift and Enter keys together to enter the function in
each cell of the selected range.
4 Check that you have achieved the desired result.
Another way of transposing a rectangular area of cells is to:
• Copy the cells.
• Click in the cell that is to be in the top left-hand corner of the
transposed range.
• Select Edit | Paste Special.
• Tick the Transpose box and click OK.
10 Reference functions
If you wish to manipulate references, there are functions to help with that
too. This document will not consider such functions in any detail but a
couple of examples will give you an idea of the kind of thing that can be
done.
10.1 ADDRESS
This function enables you to build a reference from numbers.
General form:
=ADDRESS(row_num,col_num,abs_num,a1,sheet_name)
where
• row_num and col_num determine the row and column values
• abs_num determines whether the resulting address uses absolute
references; values are
1 absolute
2 absolute row, relative column
3 relative row, absolute column
4 relative
• a1 is a logical value;
TRUE gives a resulting address in A1 format
FALSE gives a resulting address in R1C1 format

• sheet_name enables you to specify a sheet name (put double quotes
around the text if it consists of more than one word).
For example:
=ADDRESS(1,1,1,TRUE,”My data”) returns the reference ‘My data’!$A$1

10.2 OFFSET
This returns a reference of a specified height and width located at a
position that is specified relative to some base reference.
General form:
=OFFSET(ref,rows,cols,height,width)
where
• ref is the base reference from which the offset is calculated
• rows specifies the vertical distance from the base reference to the
new reference (positive value means below the base reference;
negative above)
• cols specifies the corresponding horizontal distance (positive to the
right, negative to the left of the base reference)
• height and width specify the shape of the resulting reference; they are
optional but must be positive if included. When they are omitted, the
resulting reference has the same dimensions as the base reference.
So, =OFFSET(B5:E10,-3,2) will return the reference D2:G7.
11 Functions as arguments to other functions

Functions, or indeed calculations involving several functions, can be used
as arguments in another function.
As an example of this, consider the following.
The formula =SQRT(number) will calculate the square root of a number.
=SQRT(9) will return 3
The formula =POWER(number,power) will calculate the number raised to the

power specified.
=POWER(2,3) will return 8 (that is, 23)
(The same result could be achieved by using =2^3)
Now suppose that you want to calculate 3 2 + 4 2 . You could store 3 in cell
A1, and 4 in cell B1. The required formula would then be
=SQRT(POWER(A1,2)+POWER(B1,2))
Here POWER has been used as an argument in the SQRT function.
12 Errors
Occasionally you may get an error value in a cell. This happens when Excel
cannot deal sensibly with the formula you have supplied. There are several
different errors caused in different ways as shown in the table below.
Error Explanation

#DIV/0! You have tried to divide a number by zero (probably because
the cell referred to as divisor is a blank cell).
#N/A No information is available for the calculation you wish to do.

This may be deliberate — see below.
#NAME? A text string has not been enclosed in double quotes, or, you
entered a name in a formula that is not in the Define Name
dialog box list (see section 14.3).
#NULL! You included a space between two ranges in a formula to

indicate an intersection, but the ranges have no common cells.
#NUM! You supplied an invalid argument to a worksheet function, or,

the result of a formula is too large or too small to be represented
in the worksheet.
#REF! You deleted a range of cells whose references are included in a

formula.
#VALUE! You entered a mathematical formula that refers to a text entry.
If you apply the Text format to a cell that contains a formula, that formula
will be thought of as text and displayed as such in the cell. If there is a
formula in another cell which refers to this text-formatted cell, the result in
that cell will be either the text value itself (for a formula that is just a direct
reference and does not involve calculations) or the error value #VALUE!.
Tip: The procedure described above can be a useful way of seeing the
effect of removing a formula without actually deleting it.
• Apply the text format to the cell containing the formula.
• Click the formula bar and press Enter (to recalculate the worksheet
and display the text value).
• Look for any resulting #VALUE! errors.
To restore the formula
• Apply a numeric format to the cell.
• Click the formula bar and press Enter.
Note: You can use the Edit | Find command to locate error values.
12.1 Trapping errors using logical functions

If a formula refers to a cell containing an error value, that formula will also
return an error value. So, it can be useful to determine whether a cell
contains an error value.
There are three functions that enable you to trap errors:
General forms:
=ISERR(value)
=ISERROR(value)
=ISNA(value)

Here value is usually a reference to a cell or range but it can be a number,
a formula, or literal text. If it is a range, only the cell in the same row or
column is tested.
ISERR tests for all errors except #N/A
ISERROR tests for all errors including #N/A
ISNA tests for #N/A values only
All three functions return either TRUE or FALSE. These functions are
useful as conditional tests in IF functions.
Example:
=IF(ISERROR(C2/C3),0,C2/C3)
Here, if there is going to be a problem trying to divide the contents of C2 by

the contents of C3, the ISERROR function will return TRUE so the value 0
will be returned by the IF function. If ISERROR returns FALSE, the
calculation C2/C3 will be carried out and that answer returned.
12.2 Tracing errors

If you have a worksheet that is displaying errors, it is possible to trace each
one back to its source. If you would like to experiment with this,
1 Open a new workbook (or insert a new blank worksheet in

Data_for_Calculations).
2 Enter 3 in B8 and 0 in B9 (that is a zero not a letter O).
3 In C11 enter
=B8/B9
This will produce a #DIV/0! error.
4 In E8 enter
=C11+567
That will give the same error.
5 In F10 enter
=2*E8
Again, you will see an error value.
6 From the Tools menu select Formula Auditing, and then Show
Formula Auditing Toolbar.
7 Click in F10 (the latest cell containing an error).
8 Click the Trace Error button on the Formula Auditing toolbar
(seventh button from the left).
The resulting display is shown below. Red arrows trace the error chain and
blue arrows show the cells used in the first of the formulae to give an error.

9 Remove the arrows by clicking on the Remove All Arrows button
(sixth button from the left).
10 Close the Formula Auditing toolbar.
13 Using labels instead of cell references

If you are careful, you can sometimes use labels instead of cell references
in a formula. Such formulae are called natural language formulae. It is
probably best to look at a specific example.
1 Click on the NamedRefs tab of the Data_for_Calculations

workbook.
The labels at the top of the columns (Area1, Area2, Area3 and Area4)
refer to the cells below them (D6:D11, E6:E11, F6:F11 and G6:G11).
The labels to the left of the rows (January, February, and so on) refer to
the cells to the right of them (D6:G6, D7:G7, and so on).

=sum(Area1)
3 Press Enter.
You should get the answer 306.
4 Copy the formula across the range E13:G13.

When you enter text into a formula, Excel looks for column and row labels
that match that text. It then decides what to do.
If the label mentioned in the formula is in the same column (or row) as the
cell containing the formula, Excel uses the full range of contiguous cells
that are next to the label — below a column label; to the right of a row label.
If the label is not in the same row or column as the cell containing the
formula, Excel uses the single cell at the intersection of the labelled column
(or row) and the row (or column) of the cell containing the formula.
For example, the intersection of Area4 and June is cell G11.
So, another way of writing the formula =G11 is =Area4 June with a space
between Area4 and June (to represent the intersection operator).

5 For practice, fill in the rest of the table — Average sales for each
region, Total sales for each month and Average sales for each
month — using labels.
You should get the following values:
You will have noticed that the table containing the original data is
surrounded by blank rows and columns. When using natural language
formulae, leave blank rows and columns between the table and any cells
containing calculations involving natural language references.
If you would like to see the effect of entering a value in one of the blank
regions:
1 Note the value in D13 (306).

2 Click in D12, type
2004
and press Enter.

The values in D13 and D14 are not automatically updated. To force a
recalculation in D13:
3 Double-click in D13 and press Enter.

The result in D13 will change to 2310 because the 2004 is now included in
the calculation.
4 Double-click in D14 and press Enter.

That result will change to 577.5 because the 2004 and the 2310 are now
included in the calculation.
5 Use the Undo button to get back to the stage where D12 was blank.
It is also possible to define labels and have Excel automatically substitute
them for cell references.

14 Working with names
You have already seen how to build a formula using
• cell references
• column and row labels (natural language formulae — see section 13)
Another approach is to give names to cells and ranges of cells, and use
those names in the formulae. A name that has been defined in one
worksheet is available for use in all the other worksheets of that particular
workbook.
14.1 Names of cells and ranges

There are some rules about naming cells and ranges:
• all names must begin with a letter or underscore character; the
remaining characters can be letters, numbers, periods and
underscore characters
• spaces are not allowed; use an underscore or period to separate
words
• a name can contain up to 255 characters (but can not be selected
from the Name box if it is longer than 253 characters)
• names can contain upper and lower case letters but are not case
sensitive (Sales is equivalent to SALES)
• names that could be misinterpreted as cell references can not be
used
14.2 Defining a name using the Name box

Remember that a single cell is selected by clicking in it; a range is selected
by highlighting it.
Give the name Cake to cell D19 as follows:
1 Make sure that the worksheet NamedRefs is active.

2 Select cell D19 by clicking in it.
Note that the cell reference D19 is displayed in the Name box at the left-
hand end of the formula bar.
3 Click in that Name box.

4 Type
Cake
and press Enter.

Note how the word Cake is now showing in the Name box.
If a range has been named, its name will only appear in the Name box
when the entire range is selected.
Next,
1 Give the name Tea to cell E19.

2 Click in F19 and type
=Cake+Tea
This will give the same result as entering the formula =D19+E19 (£1.20).
Important: When you define a name for a cell, the name of the worksheet
is part of that definition and the cell reference is absolute. So, the actual
definition of the name for D19 is NamedRefs!$D$19.
14.3 Creating names from text cells

If there are labels in the row and/or column adjacent to a range of cells that
you wish to name, they can be used as names.
Suppose you want to name the range D25:D28.
1 Select cells D24:D28 (be sure to include the Number of tins

heading).
2 From the Insert menu, select Name and then Create.
In the Create Names dialog box, the Top row box will already be selected
(has a tick).
3 Click OK.
4 Click on the down-arrow in the Name box at the left-hand end of the
formula bar and check that this new name is included.
To use this named range (Number_of_tins),
1 Click in C31.
2 Type
=sum(Number_of_tins)
and press Enter.
The result should be 215.
So that you can use it later,
1 Give the name Cost_of_tin to the range E25:E28.

Note: If you need to give a name to cells on more than one worksheet by
using a 3D reference, use Insert | Name | Define — see the online Help.
14.4 Pasting names into formulae

Although you could now use these defined names by typing them in to your
formulae, if the names are long, that approach can be tedious and prone to
errors. It is often easier to paste the names into formulae.
To fill in the Total value column (with the calculation number of tins
multiplied by the cost of one tin):
1 Click in F25.

2 Type
=
3 From the Insert menu, select Name and then Paste.

4 In the Paste Name dialog box, select Number_of_tins and click
OK.
5 Type
*
6 Press the F3 key (a quick way to get to the Paste Name dialog box).
7 Select Cost_of_tin and click OK.
8 Your formula is now complete so press the Enter key (£125.16).
9 Copy that formula down through cells F26:F28.
10 Click in F27 and check that the formula is correct.
14.5 Applying names to existing formulae

The formula in C34 was entered without using names.
1 Click in C34 and note that the formula is

=AVERAGE(E25:E28)
To make this formula use existing names:
2 From the Insert menu, select Name and then Apply.

3 Select Cost_of_tin (make sure that only that one is highlighted).
4 Click OK.
5 Note how the formula now reads
=AVERAGE(Cost_of_tin)
Note: If you need to select more than one name in that Apply Names
dialog box, just hold down the Shift key as you select the names.
14.6 Moving to a named cell or range

You can quickly move to a cell or range that has been named by any of the
following methods:
• Click the down-arrow next to the Name box and select the name from
the drop-down list.
• Type the name in the Name box.
• Select Go To from the Edit menu, click on the name and then on OK.

14.7 Producing a list of names
If you become very enthusiastic about naming cells, you may find it useful
to produce a list of names and the cells to which they refer. As an example,
1 Click in C38.
2 Select Insert | Name | Paste.
3 In the Paste Name dialog box, click on the Paste List button.
15 Working with arrays

An array is an organised rectangular list of values. It can consist of:
• one row, several columns
• several rows, one column
• several rows, several columns
An array formula takes array arguments and can produce either single or
multiple results.
A rectangular block of cells sharing the same array formula is called an
array range.
When entering an array formula, you
• Select the array range where the results are to be stored.
• Type in your array formula.
• Press the Ctrl, Shift and Enter keys together (and then release
them).
Note that you do not just press Enter.
Try working through some examples.
15.1 Examples
1 Click on the Arrays tab of the workbook.
The red and blue numbers can be thought of as arrays.
Multiply all the x numbers in B3:B8 by 2

Obviously you could enter the formula =B3*2 in C3 and then copy that
formula down through C4:C8. Try using arrays instead:
1 Highlight the range of cells C3:C8.

2 Type the following formula (but don’t press the Enter key)
=B3:B8*2
3 Press the Ctrl, Shift and Enter keys.

4 Have a look at the formula on the formula bar.
You will see that Excel has added a pair of curly brackets to indicate that it
is an array formula.

Add all the x numbers in B3:B8 to the y numbers in F3:F8
1 Highlight the range D3:D8.

2 Type
=B3:B8+F3:F8
3 Press the Ctrl, Shift and Enter keys together.

4 Check that the answers are correct.
Multiply the numbers in B12:C13 by those in F12:G13
1 Highlight the range D16:E17.

2 Type
=B12:C13*F12:G13

Check that you understand what Excel has done. The first number in the
green array was multiplied by the first number in the orange array and the
result stored in the first cell of the new array, and so on.
That is clearly very different from matrix multiplication.
Matrix multiplication
1 Highlight the range D20:E21.

2 Type
=mmult(B12:C13,F12:G13)

4 Note the different results.
Array multiplication 2 9
8 4
Matrix multiplication 14 6
20 10
15.2 Changing cells in an array range

You cannot edit, clear or move individual cells in an array range. They have
to be treated as a single entity. Also, cells cannot be inserted or deleted.
You can, however, format individual cells in an array and copy and paste
them elsewhere.
To select an array,

• click in any cell belonging to that array and press the Ctrl and / keys
together (click in C5 and try that)
or
• select all the cells in the array.
To edit an array, carry out the following steps:
1 Select the array.

2 Activate the formula bar.
3 Edit the formula.
4 Press Ctrl, Shift and Enter.
15.3 Array constants

It is possible that at some time you may wish to work with a constant array
defined by you. This could be made up of numbers, text or logical values.
The array must be enclosed by curly brackets {}. Commas are used to
separate the values in different columns; semicolons are used to separate
the values in different rows.
For example, the array
1 2 3
5 7 9
can be represented by {1,2,3;5,7,9}
So, if you wanted to multiply some values in the range T100:V101 by that
constant array, you could use =T100:V101*{1,2,3;5,7,9}
16 Miscellaneous
16.1 Recalculation
Manual recalculation
If you have a large workbook involving lots of formulae, and you change the
value in a cell, Excel’s automatic recalculations can take a while to
complete. To save time, you may like to consider changing to manual
recalculation. Then Excel will not recalculate until you tell it to.
1 Select Tools | Options and click on the Calculation tab.

2 In the Calculation section, click beside Manual.
3 Note the position of the Calc Now (F9) button that recalculates all
your open workbooks and the Calc Sheet button that recalculates
just the active worksheet.
4 Click OK.
When you want Excel to recalculate, press

• F9 — to recalculate all the cells in all the worksheets that are affected
by the changes made since the last recalculation.
• Shift and F9 together — to recalculate only the active worksheet
or use the Calc Now (F9) and Calc Sheet buttons mentioned above.
Even with manual recalculation, Excel will probably recalculate your entire
workbook when you save it. If you want to prevent this,
1 Select Options from the Tools menu.

2 Click on the Calculation tab.
3 De-select the Recalculate before save option.
If you select the Automatic except tables option, Excel will automatically
recalculate everything except data tables (referred to in section 18 about
What-if analysis).
Workbooks from earlier versions of Excel

When you open a workbook that was created in the current version, Excel
recalculates just those formulae that depend on cells that have changed.
However, when you open a workbook created in an earlier version of Excel,
the workbook is completely recalculated. All the formulae are recalculated
regardless of whether they depend on cells that have changed or not. This
can take a while, but after the workbook has been saved in the current
version it will be quicker to open. Should you wish, you can at any time
force a full recalculation of a workbook by clicking the Calculate Full button
(add it to your toolbar) or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+F9.
16.2 Formula bar formatting

When you are entering a long complicated formula, it can be made easier
to read by inserting spaces and line breaks in appropriate places. This does
not affect the calculation. Press the Alt and Enter keys together to insert a
line break.
16.3 Replacing formulae with their resulting values

Sometimes you may want to keep a particular result of a formula rather
than allow it to change when the values on which the formula depends are
changed.
If you have a cell that contains a formula and you would like the cell to
contain the resulting value (rather than the formula):
1 Click in the cell.

2 Select Copy from the Edit menu.
3 Select Paste Special from the Edit menu.
4 In the resulting Paste Special dialog box, select Values.
5 Click on OK.

If you want to change just part of the formula to a value:
1 Highlight the cell reference in the formula on the formula bar.

2 Press F9.
3 Press Enter to lock in the value.
Click Undo if you want to restore the formula to its original state.
16.4 Circular references

If you enter a formula that depends on its own value, this is called a circular
reference and Excel will display an error message. Just occasionally, a
circular reference is intentional and Excel can be made to iterate a
specified number of times. See the Help for more details.
16.5 3-D formulae

A formula in a worksheet can refer to:
• other cells in that worksheet
• cells in a different worksheet within the same workbook
• cells in a different workbook
A 3-D reference consists of a cell (or range) reference preceded by a
range of worksheet names.
Suppose you have a workbook containing the following four adjacent
worksheets:
Sheet2 holds data for England, with a total value in H2
Sheet3 holds data for Scotland, with a total value in H2
Sheet4 holds data for Wales, with a total value in H2
Sheet5 holds data for Ireland, with a total value in H2
In addition,
Sheet1 contains a summary of the information in those sheets.
The grand total of those four H2 values could then be entered in Sheet1
with
=SUM(Sheet2:Sheet5!H2)
The functions that can be used with 3-D references are
SUM MIN MAX AVERAGE

PRODUCT COUNTA VAR STDEV
STDEVP COUNT VARP
16.6 Euro currency tools

Excel has a Euro Currency Tools add-in program that provides

• a standard toolbar button € for formatting euro values
• a button and a menu command for converting euros to/from other
euro member currencies
• a EuroValue toolbar for viewing converted values
• a EUROCONVERT worksheet function for converting currencies
This add-in has been enabled on the Networked PC service.
If you are using a stand-alone PC,
1 Select Add-Ins from the Tools menu.

2 Select the Euro Currency Tools check box.
See the built-in help for more details.
Note: For Excel to recognise euro values, your operating system must
support the euro sign. Windows 2000 Professional, Windows NT 4.0 with
Service Pack 4 or later, Windows Millenium Edition and Windows 98 all
have this support.
16.7 R1C1 reference style

In this document, cells references have contained a column letter and a row
number. However, there is another way of referring to cells, known as the
R1C1 reference style, where row and column numbers are used.
For example, R20C5 means row 20, column 5, in other words, cell E20.
In this notation, a relative cell reference is described in terms of the position
of that cell relative to the cell containing the formula.
For example,
=RC[-2]+RC[-1]
means take the contents of the cell in the same row but two columns to the
left and add the contents of the cell in the same row but one column to the
left.
A relative reference must include square brackets around the number in the
reference.
[+n] [-n]
R n rows below the formula cell n rows above the formula cell
C n columns to the right of the n columns to the left of the

formula cell formula cell
R1C1 references were not used in this document but there may be
occasions when you will find this approach useful (perhaps when writing
macros). If you are interested in trying R1C1 references,
1 Select Options from the Tools menu.

2 Click the General tab.

3 Select the R1C1 reference style and click OK.
4 Have a look at some of the formulae you have entered.
5 Turn the option off when you have finished experimenting.
17 Analysis Toolpack
Excel provides an Analysis Toolpak add-in — a set of data analysis tools
for use in statistical and engineering analyses.
17.1 Analysis ToolPak not installed

If you decide that you would like to use these tools but the Data Analysis
command is not on the Tools menu, you need to install the Analysis
ToolPak in Microsoft Excel as follows:
1 From the Tools menu, select Add-Ins.

If the Analysis ToolPak is not listed in the Add-Ins dialog box, click
Browse and locate the drive, folder name, and file name for the Analysis
ToolPak add-in, Analys32.xll — usually located in the Library\Analysis
folder — or run the Setup program if it isn't installed.
2 Select Analysis ToolPak.

3 Click OK.
Note: Add-ins selected in the Add-Ins dialog box remain active until you
remove them.
17.2 Using the Analysis ToolPak

You can use the ToolPak functions just as you would any other Excel
function.
1 Select Data Analysis from the Tools menu.

2 Select a tool in the Analysis Tools box and click OK.
3 Supply information and select options in the dialog box that opens.
If a formula that uses a ToolPak function returns a #NAME? error value,
1 From the Tools menu, select Add-Ins.

2 Select Analysis ToolPak-VBA from the Add-Ins available list.
3 Click OK.
If the Analysis ToolPak-VBA is not listed in the Add-Ins available list you
can install it by double-clicking the Microsoft Excel Setup icon.
18 What-if analysis
One of the most useful benefits when using a spreadsheet is the ability to
carry out what-if analyses. When Excel is configured to recalculate

automatically, you can change the value in a cell and immediately see the
effect of this change on any cells that depend on the value you have
changed.
Two different kinds of data tables, sometimes called sensitivity tables, can
be created by selecting Table from the Data menu. The first table is based
on one variable and finds out how changing that value affects several
formulae that use it. The other is based on two variables and tests the
effect on just one formula.
When making decisions you will probably find that more than two variables
are involved. Providing you have no more than 32 variables you can use
the Scenario Manager — select Scenarios from the Tools menu. A
scenario is a particular set of possible values assigned to your variable
cells. The Scenario Manager is a powerful tool that can be used to
compare, contrast, combine and look at various possibilities.
If you have a problem that has a known target value, and that value
depends on only one unknown variable, try using the Goal Seek command.
This is available from the Tools menu.
If your problem involves more than one variable cell, the Solver is available
to find combinations of those variables that will minimise or maximise the
target cell. The Solver is an add-in. When installed, it is available from the
Tools menu.
19 Other Excel documentation

Other ITS documentation about Excel includes:
Guide 33: An introduction to Microsoft Excel 2003
Guide 34: Creating charts in Microsoft Excel 2003
Guide 36: Lists and data management in Microsoft Excel 2003
Guide 39: Introduction to using macros in Microsoft Excel 2003

Using Formulae and Functions in Microsoft Excel 2003

Uploaded by

Using Formulae and Functions in Microsoft Excel 2003

Uploaded by

Guide 35

Using formulae and

Copyright © 2006 University of Durham Information Technology Service

1 Creating formulae .............................................................................................. 1

Guide 35: Using formulae and functions in Microsoft Excel 2003 i

ii Guide 35: Using formulae and functions in Microsoft Excel 2003

1.1 Entering a formula

1 In the Data_for_Calculations workbook, click in B2 and type

The formula will be displayed on the formula bar.

3 Click in B2 to check the formula.

Guide 35: Using formulae and functions in Microsoft Excel 2003 1

- Negation (negative number)

^ Exponentiation (to the power of)

* and / Multiplication and division

+ and - Addition and subtraction

& Text joining

= < > <= >= Comparison

1 Click in B3 and type

2 Press the Enter key.

1.3 Editing formulae

2 Guide 35: Using formulae and functions in Microsoft Excel 2003

1.5 Constructing your own formula

1 Think of an integer (whole) number. (For checking purposes it is

1.6 Using cell references

1.6.1 Typing the cell references in a formula

Guide 35: Using formulae and functions in Microsoft Excel 2003 3

2 Press the Enter key.

3 Check that the answer is 107.

1.6.2 Clicking on the cells to be included in a formula

1 Click in D11 and type

1.7 Copying a formula

4 Guide 35: Using formulae and functions in Microsoft Excel 2003

1.8 Absolute cell references

and press the Enter key.

3 Copy the formula in C21 to C22.

Guide 35: Using formulae and functions in Microsoft Excel 2003 5

1 Click on the worksheet tab Sneezes.

2.1 Adding a column of numbers using the Σ button

1 Highlight the cells from C7 to C13 inclusive. (Note that Excel

4 Click in C13 to see that formula.

6 Guide 35: Using formulae and functions in Microsoft Excel 2003

3 Press the Enter key.

2.3 Adding rows and columns of numbers

2 Highlight the cells from C20 to E26 inclusive.

is considerably shorter than

All functions consist of a function name (such as SUM) followed by a set of

Guide 35: Using formulae and functions in Microsoft Excel 2003 7

=RAND() which returns a random number that is greater than

3.1 Entering functions

8 Guide 35: Using formulae and functions in Microsoft Excel 2003

5 In the Or select a category: box, select Math & Trig.

Guide 35: Using formulae and functions in Microsoft Excel 2003 9

10 Click on the OK button.

4 Make sure that ROMAN is selected and click on OK.

10 Guide 35: Using formulae and functions in Microsoft Excel 2003

4.3 Random numbers

1 Click on the Text tab of the Data_for_Calculations workbook.

Example 1: Create a text string containing 107 asterisks

Guide 35: Using formulae and functions in Microsoft Excel 2003 11

and press Enter.

and press Enter.

Example: Create a tidy version of some untidy text

with up to 30 text arguments.

12 Guide 35: Using formulae and functions in Microsoft Excel 2003

and press Enter.

3 Copy the formula in D7 down through cells D8:D15.

5.4 UPPER, LOWER and PROPER

Example 1: Improve the appearance of the names in D7:D15.

and press Enter.

and press Enter.

6 Dates and times

Guide 35: Using formulae and functions in Microsoft Excel 2003 13

6.2 Entering dates and times

6.3 How Excel interprets dates

14 Guide 35: Using formulae and functions in Microsoft Excel 2003

6.4 Changing the default settings