Microsoft Excel Formulas and Functions (Office 2021 and Microsoft 365)

CHAPTER 4

Understanding functions

In this chapter, you will:

• Gain an understanding of Excel’s worksheet functions

• Decipher the structure of a typical Excel function

• Learn how to type a function into a formula

• Learn how to add a function to a formula by using Excel’s Insert Function feature

• Load Excel’s powerful and useful Analysis ToolPak

The formulas that you can construct based on the information presented in Part I, “Mastering Excel formulas,” can range from simple additions and subtractions to powerful iteration-based solutions for 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 ...