Page 107 - Ms Excel Note and Workbook

MICROSOFT EXCEL NOTE AND WORKBOOK

10 FUNCTIONS

Introduction

A function is a predefined formula that performs calculations using specific values in a particular
order. Excel includes many common functions that can be used to quickly find

the sum, average, count, maximum value, and minimum value for a range of cells. In order to use
functions correctly, you'll need to understand the different parts of a function and how to
create arguments to calculate values and cell references.

The Parts of a Function

In order to work correctly, a function must be written a specific way, which is called the syntax. The
basic syntax for a function is the equals sign (=), the function name (SUM, for example), and one or
more arguments. Arguments contain the information you want to calculate. The function in the
example below would add the values of the cell range A1:A20.

Working with Arguments

Arguments can refer to both individual cells and cell ranges and must be enclosed
within parentheses.

For example, the function =AVERAGE(B1:B9) would calculate the average of the values in the cell
range B1:B9. This function contains only one argument.

TIP
You can include one
argument or multiple
arguments, depending on
the syntax required for the
function

98 | P a g e