CSC 105 MT1-Deck 3: Excel Operators, Formulas & Order of Operations

Equal Sign (=) in Excel

Every Excel formula begins with =. It tells Excel to calculate or evaluate an expression.

Example: =A1+B1 adds two cells, whereas typing A1+B1 without = is generally treated as text.

Arithmetic Operators

Symbols used to perform mathematical calculations in Excel. Addition (+),

subtraction (-),

multiplication (*),

division (/),

exponentiation (^)

percentage (%).

Addition Operator (+)

Adds two or more values.

Example: =5+3 returns 8. In =A1+B1, Excel adds the values stored in those cells.

Subtraction Operator (-)

Subtracts one value from another.

Example: =10-4 returns 6. Subtraction requires two values.

Negation Operator (-)

Changes the sign of a value.

Example: =-5 returns -5, while =-A1 returns the opposite sign of the value in A1.

Unlike subtraction, negation applies to one value.

Negation vs. Subtraction

Negation changes the sign of one value; subtraction finds the difference between two values.

Example: =-5 negates 5, whereas =10-5 subtracts 5 from 10.

Multiplication Operator (*)

Multiplies values.

Example: =4*3 returns 12. Excel uses * rather than ×.

Division Operator (/)

Divides one value by another.

Example: =12/3 returns 4. Dividing by zero produces a #DIV/0! error.

Exponent Operator (^)

Raises a number to a power.

Example: =2^3 returns 8 because 2×2×2=8.

Percentage Operator (%)

Converts a percentage into its decimal equivalent.

Example: =50% evaluates to 0.5. Therefore, =200*50% returns 100.

Reference Operators

Operators used to combine or identify cell references. The three main reference operators are colon (:), comma (,) and space (intersection).

Colon (:) — Range Operator

Refers to every cell within a continuous range, including both endpoints.

Example: B2:B5 includes B2, B3, B4 and B5.

Comma (,) — Union Operator

Combines multiple references into one set of references.

Example: =SUM(A1:A3,C1:C3) adds values from both ranges. In function syntax, commas also separate arguments.

Space — Intersection Operator

Returns cells shared by two overlapping ranges.

Example: B2:D5 C4:E7 intersects at C4:D5.

Comparison Operators

Compare two values and return TRUE or FALSE.

Operators include = (equal), <> (not equal), > (greater), < (less), >= (greater or equal) and <= (less or equal).

Comparison Operator Examples

=5>3 returns TRUE. =5<3 returns FALSE. =5<>3 returns TRUE. =5=5 returns TRUE.

Comparison results are logical values.

Operator Precedence

The order Excel follows when evaluating operators. In your course: 1. Parentheses,

2. Reference operators,

3. Negation,

4. Exponents,

5. Percent,

6. Multiplication/Division,

7. Addition/Subtraction,

8. Comparisons.

Parentheses in Excel

Parentheses group calculations and force Excel to evaluate the grouped expression first.

Example: =2+34 returns 14, but =(2+3)4 returns 20.

Order of Operations — Application

What does =10+23^2 return?

Answer: 28. First calculate 3^2=9, then 29=18, then 10+18=28.

Fill Handle

The small square at the bottom-right corner of a selected cell. Dragging it copies formulas or extends patterns into adjacent cells.

Example: Extending Quiz1, Quiz2, Quiz3 down a column.Random Integer Assignment

Random Integer Assignment

Entering randomly selected whole numbers into cells, often to create sample data for testing formulas. Example: Assigning simulated student grades between 0 and 100.