Entering Formulas

The power of spreadsheets is that their cells can contain formulas. A formula is an equation that tells EasySpreadsheet to add certain cells together, multiply certain cells by a value, and so on. You can enter a formula in a cell, just as you can enter a label or a value.

To enter a formula:

  1. Left-click on the cell that you wish to enter a formula into. A heavy border should appear around the cell.

  2. Type an equal sign (=). This tells EasySpreadsheet that you are entering a formula.

  3. Enter your formula. Examples are given below:

 Function

Operator

Example

Formula

Value (Result)

Addition

+

=5+5

10

Subtraction

-

=6-4

2

Multiplication

*

=3*2

6

Division

/

=9/3

3

Exponentiation

^

=2^3

8

Percent

%

=75%

0.75

Greater Than

>

=5>3

TRUE

Less Than

<

=5<3

FALSE

Equal To

=

=5=3

FALSE

Greater Than or Equal To

>=

=5>=3

TRUE

Less Than or Equal To

<=

=5<=3

FALSE

Not Equal To

<>

=5<>3

TRUE

Concatenation

&

=2&3

23

Brackets

( )

=(2+1)*6

18

Scientific Notation

E

=1E2

100

  1. Press the Enter key. The result (value) of your formula will automatically appear in the cell.

  2. If you left-click once on the cell at any time, the formula will appear in the text box above your spreadsheet. This text box is called the formula bar.

  3. You can edit your formula by typing in the formula bar. Press Enter when you are finished editing.

 

Formulas with Cell References

The values of cells in your sheet can be added, subtracted, multiplied, divided, compared, and so on. Entering formulas with cell references is very similar to the method described above. Some formula examples are as follows:

Formula

Description

=A1+A2

Adds the values found in cells A1 and A2.

=C3-A1

Subtracts the value found in A1 from the value found in C3.

=C1*C5

Multiplies the value found in C1 by the value in C5.

=A1>A2

Determines whether or not the value in A1 is greater than the value in A2.

=A1=A2

Determines whether or not the value in A1 is the same as the value in A2.

=C2%

Produces a percent value based on the value in C2.

=C1&C3

Produces a string made up of the values (or labels) found in C1 and C3.

=(A1+A2)/C1

Adds the values in A1 and A2, then divides this result by the value in C1.

 

For example, to enter a formula in cell C3 that will add cell C1 and cell C2, and then multiply the result by 5:

  1. Enter test values in cells C1 and C2. For example, put the value 10 in C1, and the value 20 in C2.

  2. Click on cell C3.

  3. Type in the formula: =(C1+C2)*5

  4. Press the Enter key. The number 150 will automatically appear in cell C3. This makes sense, as (10+20)*5 is 150.

  5. If you left-click once on cell C3, the formula (i.e., =(C1+C2)*5 ) will become visible in the formula bar above the spreadsheet.

 

Showing and Hiding Formula Bar

If the formula bar (the text box just above the spreadsheet) is not visible, go to the View menu, and ensure that Formula Bar is checked off. This will show the formula bar.

To hide the formula bar, un-check Formula Bar under the View menu.