11 Chapter 2: Formulas and Functions Chapter 02 Lecture Notes (CSIT 104) Exploring Microsoft Office Excel 2007

2 Chapter 02 Objectives Create and copy formulas Use relative and absolute cell addresses Use AutoSum Insert basic statistical functions Use date functions Use the IF function Use the VLOOKUP function Use the PMT function Use the FV function Chapter 02 Lecture Notes (CSIT 104)

3 Formula Basics Formulas are used to perform mathematical operations and arrive at a calculated result Must begin with an equals (=) sign Contain mathematical operators Used to automate calculations that were once done manually Chapter 02 Lecture Notes (CSIT 104)

4 Creating a Formula Rather than typing a cell address, use an alternative method that involves minimal typing Pointing uses the mouse or arrow keys to select the cell directly when creating a formula Chapter 02 Lecture Notes (CSIT 104)

5 Copy Formulas with Fill Handle Use the fill handle, a small black square in the bottom right corner of a selected cell, to copy formulas Provides a clear-cut alternative method for copying the contents of a cell Can be used to duplicate formulas Chapter 02 Lecture Notes (CSIT 104)

6 Relative vs. Absolute Addressing Relative cell references change relative to the direction in which the formula is copied Absolute cell references are exact; they do not change when a formula is copied  Indicated by dollar ($) signs in front of the column letter and row number  Most often used when the value need not change, such as a sales tax percentage. Use the F4 key to toggle between relative and absolute cell referencing Chapter 02 Lecture Notes (CSIT 104)

7 Functions A predefined formula that can be selected from a list Already has the formula information; just requires cell references Do not replace all formulas Take values, perform operations, and return results Chapter 02 Lecture Notes (CSIT 104)

8 Functions (continued) SUM is the most commonly used function  represented by a sigma (  )  Adds values within a specified range Syntax refers to the grammatical structure of a formula  Must adhere to stated structure of formula Arguments are values ─ used as input and returned as output Function Wizard automates entering the function formulas Chapter 02 Lecture Notes (CSIT 104)

9 Using AutoSum (  ) Automates the SUM function Click the cell where you want the result Click AutoSum button Select the range of cells you want to sum Press Enter to complete An example of AutoSum,  = Sum(C4:C10) represents sum of all the cells in the cell range C4 to C10 Chapter 02 Lecture Notes (CSIT 104)

10 Basic Statistical Functions Perform a variety of calculations to aide in decision making process  AVERAGE calculates the average of a range of numbers  MIN calculates the minimum value in a range  MAX calculates the maximum value in a range  COUNT counts the number of values within a range  MEDIAN finds the midpoint value in a range Chapter 02 Lecture Notes (CSIT 104)

11 Date Functions Efficiently handle time-consuming procedures Help analyze data related to the passing of time TODAY function places the current date in the selected cell  Updates when file is opened again NOW function displays current date and time, side by side Chapter 02 Lecture Notes (CSIT 104)

12 Logical and Lookup Functions Logical functions help in decision making Lookup functions are very useful for looking up data entered in a specific range of cells  Example: Well suited well for tax tables  Searches for a value based on a cell reference  Two types: VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP VLOOKUP arranges data vertically HLOOKUP arranges data horizontally Chapter 02 Lecture Notes (CSIT 104)

13 IF(a1, a2, a3) Logical Function Used to determine whether a condition has been met or not Has three arguments:  First: A condition tested to determine if it is true or false  Second: The resulting value if the condition is true  Third: The resulting value if the condition is false When the condition is met, the formula performs one task; when it is not met, the formula performs another task Chapter 02 Lecture Notes (CSIT 104)

Several Comparison Operators Used in IF Function OperatorDescription = Equal to <>Not equal to <Less than >Greater than <=Less than or equal to >=Greater than or equal to Chapter 02 Lecture Notes (CSIT 104) 14

IF(a1, a2, a3) Function Usage An example of an IF function usage is as follows: = IF(C6 > 3.5, "Dean's List", "No") It tests the condition C6 > 3.5, i.e., whether the contents of cell C6 is greater than 3.5. If the answer is true, then it returns "Dean's List" as the answer; if false it returns "No" as the answer. Chapter 02 Lecture Notes (CSIT 104) 15

16 VLOOKUP(a1, a2, a3) Function Allows for lookup within a vertical table of information Well suited for large tables of data, such as tax tables Has three arguments:  First: A lookup value stored in a cell  Second: A range of cells containing a lookup table  Third: The number of the column within the lookup table that contains the value to return Chapter 02 Lecture Notes (CSIT 104)

17 VLOOKUP Function (continued) The lookup value ─ value to look up in a reference table The lookup table ─ a range of cells containing the reference table  A breakpoint ─ is the lowest numeric value for a category or series The column index number ─ the column number in the lookup table that contains return values Chapter 02 Lecture Notes (CSIT 104)

18 Financial Functions Used for decisions involving payments, investments, interest rates, etc. Allows you to consider several alternatives Chapter 02 Lecture Notes (CSIT 104)

19 PMT(a1, a2, a3) Function Used to calculate loan payments Has three arguments:  First: The interest rate per period  Second: The number of periods  Third: The amount of the loan with a negative sign Computes the associated payment on a loan As an Example:  = PMT(B5/12, B6*12, -B4) B5 = 9%, B6 = 4; B4 = $9999 Chapter 02 Lecture Notes (CSIT 104)

20 FV(a1, a2, a3) Function Used to determine the future value of an amount, such as your investment Has three arguments:  First: The interest rate (also called the rate of return)  Second: Total number of periods (Term is how long you will pay into the investment)  Third: The periodic investment with a negative sign (how much you will invest per year). For example:  = FV(B8,B9,-B7)  B8 = 6%; B9 = 40; B7 = $7500 Chapter 02 Lecture Notes (CSIT 104)