Excel 97/2000: Formulas & Functions Windows Formula Result =10+6/2 13 =(10+6)/2 8 =1-3^2 -8 =(1-3)^2 4 =1+-3^2 10 =(1+-3)^2 4 Formula Result ="6/8/96"-"5/27/96" 12 ="12:30 pm"-"9:00" 3:30 Introduction This handout is not the typical ATN document.  While most of us have become accustomed to a nice linear document that goes along with the in-class training, this document diverges a wee bit from the norm.  It would not be practical to list the 200+ functions of Excel.  It would also be difficult to explain every option available when building a formula.  What this document intends to do is give the user a good sense of how Excel thinks behind the scenes, and some direction in using the major features and operators that make Excel productive.  If you aren't in the Formulas and Functions class at present, we at ATN encourage you to enroll in this class. Nevertheless, please use this document as a reference tool in your Excel development. Entering Formulas To enter a formula in a worksheet cell, you will first type an equal sign (=) followed by elements that may include values, operators, cell references, names or functions.  Then press Enter or click the Check button on the Formula Bar.  Excel displays the result of the calculation on the cell and the entered formula on the Formula Bar.  To switch between displaying the results or the formulas on the cells of a worksheet, press Ctrl`.  This is useful for checking your formulas, because Excel will produce a result as long as your formula is free of syntax errors.  It's up to you to make sure that you don't have the right answer to the wrong formula. Operators An operator is a symbol that performs an operation, such as a plus sign (+).  The arithmetic operators for performing standard mathematical operations are: + for addition, - for subtraction, * for multiplication, / for division,  ^ for exponentiation, and ( ) for grouping terms. Order of Operations (Do you remember 6th grade Math?) When a formula contains several operators, there is a predetermined order in which they will be performed: ( ) Parentheses ^ Exponents * or / Multiplication or Division + or – Addition or Subtraction (Forgetful? This phrase will help you remember: Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally). In addition to the standard math operators, Excel has % which divides a value by 100.  Like the minus sign used to negate values, % takes precedence over the standard operators. Operations on Dates & Times Since Excel treats dates and times as numbers, they can be math operands.  For example, subtract two dates to find the number of days in between.