Manual

Working with Formulas
Spreadsheet uses
floating point math,
which has benefits such
as speed. But it
produces errors in the
17th or 18th significant
digit. These errors only
become apparent in
some cldculations,
especially when you use
financial functions like
IRR and NPV
Spreadsheet adheres to
the IEEE 754 standards
for floating point
calculations.
Formulas describe calculations you want Spreadsheet to perform. When you
start to use formulas, you see the power of a spreadsheeL Each time you
change the contents of a cell anywhere in your spreadsheet, Spreadsheet
automatically recalculates every formula in the spreadsheet-
Formulas are made up of the following elements:
• References to particular cells or ranges like A1 or B12:C18
• Operators like + and - for addition and subtraction
• Values like 5, 100, and 0.25
• Built-in functions or prewritten formulas built into Spreadsheet
(DATE, SUM, and AVG are built-in formulas)
This section explains how to combine these elements in a formula that
performs a calculation.
Entering Formulas
A I ' ! c
! Din,e_ I 25.00
rOTAL 4_oJ
_. l........
Begin a formula by typing = (an equal sign). Next, use references, values,
operators, and built-in functions to describe the calculation you want to
perfomWThe il_stration_at the left shows how you might use a formula to
add expenses.
Cell B4 contains the following formula: --BI+B2+B3
This formula tells Spreadsheet to add the values in cells B1, B2, and B3; and
show the result in cell B4. Here are the elements of this formula:
• The equal sign (=) mils Spreadsheet it is a formula. All formulas must
start with an equal sign.
• B1, B2, and B3 are references.
• The plus signs (+) are operators.
The example above does not include a built-in function, which is a prewritten
formula built into Spreadsheet. For more information about built-in functions,
see page 88.
Spreadsheet 85