Exercise -2

The SUM function in excel adds the numerical values in a range of cells. Being categorized under the Math
and Trigonometry function, it is entered by typing “=SUM” followed by the values to be summed. The
values supplied to the function can be numbers, cell references or ranges.
The Syntax of the SUM Excel Function
The syntax of the function is shown in the following image:

The function accepts the following arguments:

 Number1: This is the first numeric value to be added.

 Number2: This is the second numeric value to be added.
The “number1” argument is required while the subsequent numbers (“number 2”, “number 3”, etc.) are
optional.

The AutoSum Option in Excel

The AutoSum option is the fastest way to add numbers in a range of cells. It automatically enters the SUM
formula in the selected cell.
Let us work on an example to understand the working of the AutoSum option. We want to sum the list of
values in A2:A7, shown in the succeeding image.

The Usage of the SUM Excel Function

The rules governing the usage of the function are listed as follows:

 The arguments supplied can be numbers, arrays, cell references, constants, ranges, and the results of
other functions or formulas.
 While providing a range of cells, only the first range (cell1:cell2) is required.
 The output is numeric and represents the sum of values supplied.
 The arguments supplied can go up to a total of 255.

Note: The SUM excel function returns the “#VALUE!” error if the criterion supplied is a text string longer
than 255 characters.

The Limitations of the SUM Function in Excel

 The cell range supplied must match the dimensions of the source.
 The cell containing the output must always be formatted as a number.

The Nesting of the SUM Excel Function

The built-in formulas of Excel can be expanded by nesting one or more functions inside another function.
This permits multiple calculations to take place in a single cell of the worksheet.
The nested function acts as an argument of the main or the outermost function. Excel calculates the
innermost function first and then moves outwards.
For example, the following formula shows the SUM function nested within the ROUND function

For the given formula, the output is calculated as follows:

 First, the sum of the values in cells A1 to A6 is computed.

 Next, the resulting number is rounded to three decimal places.
With Microsoft Excel 2007, nested functions up to 64 levels are permitted. Prior to this version, one could
nest functions only till 7 levels.

Sum Adds all the cells together and gives you the total sum.

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 Average Gives you the average of the selection you provide.
Min Returns the smallest value from the selection you provide.
Max Returns the largest value from the selection you provide.
Count Counts how many cells have values in them.

There are many different kinds of averages, and different ways to go about calculating them. The
following methods are covered in this resource:

 AVERAGE
 AVERAGEA
 AVERAGEIF
 MEDIAN
 MODE
 Bonus: Nesting AVERAGE, LARGE and SMALL functions

AVERAGE
The most universally accepted average is the arithmetic mean, and Excel uses the AVERAGE
function to find it. The Excel AVERAGE function is used to generate a number that represents a
typical value from a range, distribution, or list of numbers. It is calculated by adding all the
numbers in the list, then dividing the total by the number of values within the list.

AVERAGEA
In order to eliminate this discrepancy, the AVERAGEA function may be used to include all values
within a distribution, including text. The format is similar:
AVERAGEIF
There are ways to find the average of only the numbers that satisfy certain criteria. With
the AVERAGEIF function, Excel looks within the specified range for a stated condition, and then
finds the arithmetic mean of the cells that meet that condition.
MEDIAN
The arithmetic mean may be the most commonly-used method of finding the average, but it is by
no means the only one. One outcome of using the arithmetic mean is that it allows very high or
very low numbers to sway the outcome, thereby significantly altering the results.
MODE
A third method for determining the average of a set of numbers is finding the mode, or the
number that is repeated most often.
There are currently three “mode” functions within Excel. The classic, MODE, follows the syntax of
Comparing functions in the COUNT family
To understand what gets counted and what doesn’t when using the different COUNT functions,
the following diagram will be useful.
The following functions are covered in this resource:

 COUNT
 COUNTA
 COUNTBLANK
 COUNTIF
 COUNTIFS

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 LEN

In Excel, the weighted average is calculated by using the SUMPRODUCT function in the
numerator and the SUM function in the denominator. The weighted average is used to calculate
the average of numerical values that have been assigned different weights. With different
weights, the importance (or significance) of each value of the dataset differs. To calculate the
weighted average, the numerical values are multiplied by the weights. The resulting products are
then summed up and divided by the sum of weights.

For example, the organization Z rates (on a scale of 10) every employee on two parameters,
“quality” and “quantity” of the projects delivered. The former parameter is assigned 80% weight
while the latter is allotted 20% weight.
For ease of understanding, we are considering only two employees (A and B). The employee with
the higher weighted average will be promoted.
Cells A2 and B2 contain “quality” ratings, while cells A3 and B3 contain “quantity” ratings. Ignore
the double quotation marks of the following entries.

Trigonometric Functions using Excel

What is trigonometry?

Trigonometry is a branch of mathematics that studies the relations between the elements (sides
and angles) of a triangle. You might now be remembering many trigonometric formulas and
equations you learned during your school or college days. Some of them are cot x = 1/tanx , six
x/cos x = tan x, sin(900-x) - cos x and so on. Excel offers a number of built-in functions that deal
with trigonometry. You can use these trig functions to solve complex trigonometric expressions.

The main thing you need to consider while solving trigonometric expressions is that Excel
performs the calculations considering angle value in radians and not in degrees. You might know
that sin 900 = 1 .So, if you enter the formula SIN (90) in Excel, the result will be .893997 and not 1
because Excel considers 90 as 90 radians and not 90 degrees. If you want to find the sine of 90
degrees, then you should first convert degrees into radians and then use the SIN formula
available in Excel. Don’t worry; we are going to look at how to use trigonometric functions in
Excel in minutes.
Excel provides functions for sine (sin), cosine (cos), tangent (tan), hyperbolic sine (sinh),
hyperbolic cosine (cosh) and hyperbolic tangent (tanh). Excel does not provide functions for
secant (sec), cosecant (cosec), cotangent (cot) and for their hyperbolic counterparts. However,
you can calculate these functions using the core functions (sine and cosine). Excel also offers
functions to convert angle from radians to degrees and vice versa.
Trigonometric functions
 SIN (Sine function)
 COS (cosine function)
 TAN (tan function)
Inverse Trigonometric functions
 ASIN (Inverse Sine function)
 ACOS (Inverse Cosine function)
 ATAN (Inverse Tan function)
Hyperbolic trigonometric functions
 SINH (Hyperbolic Sine function)
 COSH (Hyperbolic Cosine function)
 TANH (Hyperbolic Tan function)

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