General rules for entering formulas into a cell:
1.The = sign must precede any formula in Excel.
2.Do not put spaces after the = or between other parts of the formula.
3.The symbol for multiplication is * and for division is /
4.Exponents are written using the ^. For example, c4 becomes c^4.
5.Instead of using an algebraic variable, replace the variable with the name of the cell containing the number to be used. For example, in the formula in cell B3, replace the x with A3.
6.If you do not want the cell name to change as you use Quick Copy, you must “anchor” the cell name. F4 anchored becomes $F$4.
7.After finishing the formula, hit Enter. The calculated value will appear in the cell and the formula will appear in the Formula bar at the top.
Example
You do not have to include this example on your worksheet. The formula for the example is y =3x +5. In cell A2, type x for the column heading, then in cells A3 and A4 put 2 and 4, respectively. Highlight cells A3 and A4, then move the cursor to the lower right-hand corner of A4. When the black + appears, drag down until the small number to the right is 20. You have just used Quick Copy to generate a list of even numbers from 2 to 20 in column A.
In B2, type the column heading y = 3x-5. You are now ready to insert a formula to calculate the corresponding y values for each value in column A.
Enter the formula “y=3x-5” in Excel format into B3, using the rules above. Calculate, by hand, the correct y value for x =2 and check it against the value that appears in B3. [Cell B3 should contain the formula “=3*A3-5” and the output value 1.] Use Quick Copy to drag your formula down to obtain the y values that correspond with the x values in column A.
2007-01-22
03:05:16
·
2 answers
·
asked by
Brandy
1
in
Mathematics