Excel® 2013 Formulas and Functions

6. Understanding Functions

In This Chapter

About Excel’s Functions

The Structure of a Function

Typing a Function into a Formula

Using the Insert Function Feature

Loading the Analysis ToolPak

The formulas that you can construct based on the information presented in Part I, “Mastering Excel Ranges and Formulas,” can range from simple additions and subtractions to powerful iteration-based solutions to otherwise difficult problems. Formulas that combine Excel’s operators with basic operands such as numeric and string values are the bread and butter of any spreadsheet.

But to get to the real meat of a spreadsheet model, you need to expand your formula repertoire to include Excel’s worksheet functions. Dozens of these functions exist, and they’re ...