Formulas and Functions
View
Go through the activity to the end
Formulas and Functions
The distinguishing feature of a spreadsheet program such as Excel is that it allows you to create mathematical formulas and execute functions. Otherwise, it is not much more than a large table displaying text.
The following should be considered when creating a spreadsheet:
- Data/numbers that you will type.
- data/numbers that you will calculate from the entry
- Which numbers are constant and are to be used in a variety of calculations.
- What arrangement of the columns and rows will make it easiest for you and your intended audience to work with the spreadsheet.
Excel is a great tool to use for data collection and entry, and even to use for some derivation of other columns. However, Excel IS NOT the best tool to use to conduct advanced analyses, especially statistical analyses.
Missing values can be very dangerous in Excel.
- In formulas and functions, missing values (i.e. blank cells) are sometimes taken as zeros, when they should represent data that are truly missing.
- Recommend consulting with an experienced statistician when wanting to conduct advanced and/or statistical analysis, or use packages like SPSS, STATA, R, or SAS.
In Excel, the calculation can be specified using either a formula or a function. In either case, all formulas and functions are entered in a cell and must begin with an equal sign "=". Some examples of the types of calculations that can be done are:
- totals
- subtotals
- average
- standard deviation