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Basic Calculations in Excel Spreadsheets
Using Excel Formulas and Functions

By Ted French, About.com

This Series of Excel Articles and Tutorials will teach you the fundamentals of using formulas and functions to perform basic calculations in Excel spreadsheets.

1) Why Use Formulas in Excel?

Excel formulas are one of the most useful features of the program. Formulas can be as simple as adding two numbers or can be complex calculations needed for high end business projections. Once you learn the basic format of creating a formula, Excel does all the calculations for you.

2) Using Formulas in Excel

This step by step tutorial shows you the steps for writing basic formulas, using cell references and pointing to create formulas, how to use formula operators and to edit the data in formulas.

3) Facts About SUM and AutoSUM Functions

The Excel SUM function is probably the most often used function in Excel spreadsheets. The AutoSUM button on the Standard toolbar makes it easy to quickly sum columns or rows of adjacent data without actually typing in the cell references. This overview gives you the background and shows you how to use these two basic functions in Excel spreadsheets.

4) How to Use SUM and AutoSUM in Excel

This step by step tutorial takes you through adding columns and rows using the SUM function and selecting a range for calculations using the AutoSUM function. Learn how to use cell references to enter data.

5) How to Use IF Functions in Excel

One of the most useful functions in Excel is the IF function. The IF function works by testing to see if a certain condition is true. If it is, the function enters one result in a specific cell, if it is not, it enters a different result in that cell.

6) "What If" Questions in Excel

"What if" questions involve changing the data used in Excel formulas to give different answers. Asking "What if" questions is very useful in business when planning new projects. Cost projections for different scenarios can be quickly created and the results compared.
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