# Stumped by Excel formulas.



## chef ladybug (Aug 14, 2007)

I have to get a skills assessment test tomorrow regarding Excel and haven't prepared all week (long story -- I'm a straight A student, honest). Basically, I need to show that I know how to subtract and add and multiply and divide using formulas, which I do... but only with two numbers. How do I add/subtract/multiply all the numbers in a row? It's been years since I last worked with Excel. Refresh my memory, please. Google ain't helping none.

Thanks,
Chef Ladybug.


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## chef ladybug (Aug 14, 2007)

I know! You use =SUM(A1:A33) to add everything between cells A1 and A33.


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## oldschool1982 (Jun 27, 2006)

equal symbol then the row letter and the cell number. + for adding , - for subtracting, / for dividing and * for multiplying.

The following formula is in the cell that I want the total to appear in. 
_=C243+D243+E243+F243+G243+H243. _

There is an easier way to perform this but unfortunately I don't have the computer knowledge to explain. I can only perform the task. It has something to do with one of the buttons in the tool bar. I believe it's the Greek letter resembling an E in the formating tool bar.

Oh yeah and I hope this is on the level. I hate doing someone elses homework. :smiles:


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## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

Is it the sigma? (*Σ)*


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## andyg (Aug 27, 2007)

Yeah, a symbol for summation, usually of multiple values. My math is pretty good and Excel was my forte' at HP, but been a couple years.


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## andyg (Aug 27, 2007)

Ladybug, do you have access to a computer with Excel right now? Playing around with it and using help on formulas would be really valuable practice time. Alternatively, Microsoft Works Spreadsheet application would be just about as good. With formulas, what's in the innermost parentheses is calculated first.


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## oldschool1982 (Jun 27, 2006)

Yupo That's it Mezz. Just couldn't remember the actual name and inadvertantly left out a word. Fixed now. Good thing I was a Chef and not a writer or scholar So I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer for the ole 'puter. Fact is I didn't get a computer until I got married. The DW had one when we met.


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## chef ladybug (Aug 14, 2007)

I have Excel and the formula worked. Will let you know how my skills assessment turns out -- it's in the afternoon, late afternoon. Now I'm off to see how the Sigma works.

Thanks, guys.


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## chef ladybug (Aug 14, 2007)

Thank you everybody.

My skills assessment test results were good though they could have been better considering the standards I usually set for myself. I do need to brush up on writing business letters (double spaces after the period, etc. etc.). They taught us that in high school but thanks to my youthful arrogance I never thought I'd need that class. If I could go back in time and knock some sense into the young and foolish Chef Ladybug...!

Still young but more mature,
Chef Ladybug.


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## free rider (May 23, 2006)

Double spaces after the period are no longer the standard. One now only puts one space after the period. I had to retrain myself and often still put the double space. My editors complain to me all the time about that.


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## andyg (Aug 27, 2007)

Hey, that's a new one on me too.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Single space has been the rule for good software for well over a decade. Good writing and layout programs automatically insert an m-space between sentences and so on. My preferred word processor counts double spaces as a typo and you can set it to automatically correct them. 

Phil


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## andyg (Aug 27, 2007)

Wow, didn't know I was illiterate all this time :lol:


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