Excel Functions-2

Use AutoSum to sum numbers

If you need to sum a column or row of numbers, let Excel do the math for you. Select a cell next to the numbers you want to sum, click AutoSum on the Home tab, press Enter, and you’re done.

When you click AutoSum, Excel automatically enters a formula to sum the numbers.

Here’s an example. To add the January numbers in this Entertainment budget, select cell B7, the cell immediately below the column of numbers. Then click AutoSum. A formula appears in cell B7, and Excel highlights the cells you’re totaling.

Press Enter to display the result (95.94) in cell B7. You can also see the formula in the formula bar at the top of the Excel window.

Average-

In Excel , there is an easy way to calculate the average of some numbers – just use the inbuilt Average function.

Start a new spreadsheet and enter the following exams scores in cells A1 to A8, as in the image below:

Click in cell A9, and we’ll see how to use the Average function in Excel. There are two ways we can do this.

Method 1

Next to the formula bar, you’ll see an FX button. This is the Formula Wizard:

When you click the FX button, you’ll see the Insert Function dialogue box appear:

The Insert Function dialogue box shows a list functions. These are the just the common ones. To see more functions, click the drop down list to the right of Select a category. The one we want is displayed under Select a function, though – Average. Click on this, and then click OK.

When you click OK, another dialogue box appears. On this dialogue box, you select the data that you want to include in your function:

If you look in the Number1 box, you’ll see Excel has guessed which cells we want to use for our Average function – A1:A8. It evens gives the answer to the Function – 6.625.

Click OK to insert the function.

Method 2

The second way to enter a Function in Excel is through the panels on the Ribbon. Try this:

• Click inside cell B9 on your spreadsheet. This is where we’ll place the Average for the cells A1 to A8.
• Click the Formulas menu at the top of Excel
• Locate the Function Library panel.

As you can see, in Excel functions are split into categories. The Average function is in a few places. The easiest way to use Average is with AutoSum. Click the down arrow on AutoSum to see the following:

Now click Average from the menu.

MIN Function

To find the lowest value in a range of cells, use the MIN function. For example, this formula will find the lowest value in cells H2:H17

=MIN(H2:H17)

MAX Function

To find the highest value in a range of cells, use the MAX function. For example, this formula will find the highest value in cells H2:H17

=MAX(H2:H17)