Teach Yourself VISUALLY™ Microsoft® Office 2008 for Mac®

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2 Click the AutoSum button ( ).

●

If you want to use a function other

than SUM, click the AutoSum

and then click the operation you

want to use: Average, Count

Numbers, Max, or Min.

1 Click in the cell where you want

the sum to appear.

Note: For AutoSum to work, the cell you select

should be below or to the right of the range you

want to sum.

Build an AutoSum Formula

You can reduce the time it takes to build a

worksheet as well as reduce the possibility of

errors by using Excel’s AutoSum feature. This

tool adds a SUM function formula to a cell and

automatically adds the function arguments based

on the structure of the worksheet data.

Build an

AutoSum Formula

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247

Manipulating Formulas and Functions

chapter

13

Is there a faster way

to add an AutoSum

formula?

Yes. If you know the range

you want to sum, and that

range is either a vertical

column with a blank cell

below it or a horizontal row

with a blank cell to its right, select

the range and then click

. Excel populates

the blank cell with an AutoSum formula that

totals the selected range.

Is there a way to see the sum of

a range without adding an

AutoSum formula?

Yes. You can use Excel’s status

bar to do this. When you select

any range, Excel adds the

range’s numeric values and

displays the result on the right side of

the status bar — for example, Sum=257. If

you want to see a different calculation, click the result

in the status bar and then click the operation you want

to use: Average, Count, Count Nums (count the

numeric values in the range), Max, or Min.

●

Excel displays the sum.

●

Excel adds a SUM function

formula to the cell.

●

Excel guesses that the range

above (or to the left) of the cell is

the one you want to add.

If Excel guessed wrong, select the

correct range.

3 Press .

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