Microsoft Excel 
ITTraining@sgul.ac.uk Page 4 St. George’s Information Services 
TYPING SIMPLE FORMULAS IN A WORKSHEET 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The whole idea behind Excel is to get it to 
perform calculations. In order for it to do this you 
need to type formulas in the worksheet. Usually 
these formulas reference existing numbers, or 
even other formulas, already in the worksheet 
using the cell addresses of these numbers rather 
than the actual value in them. Formulas must be 
typed beginning with an equal sign (=). 
For Your Reference… 
To enter a formula: 
1. Click the cell pointer on the desired cell and 
type the formula commencing with = 
2. Press , an arrow key or  to 
confirm the data entry and to move the cell 
pointer to another cell 
Handy to Know… 
Operators  
+ Addition 
- Subtraction 
* Multiplication 
/ Division 
 
Try This Yourself: 
 Continue using the previous 
file with this exercise... 
 
Click in cell B8 to make this 
the active cell 
 
Type =B3+B4+B5+B6+B7 and 
examine what is happening on 
the screen 
 
Press  to enter the formula 
and move to the next cell 
Notice that a calculation has 
now been performed. We have 
entered a formula in B8 that 
says “add the values in B3, B4, 
B5, B6, and B7 and show them 
here”… 
 
Ensure that C8 is the active 
cell, type =SUM(C3:C7) and 
press   
This is an alternative type of 
formula known as a “function”. 
Again a calculation will appear 
in the cell… 
 
Click in cell B8 and notice that 
the formula you typed appears 
in the Formula Bar, while the 
result of the calculation 
appears in the worksheet 
 
Repeat step 5 with cell C8 
 Click on the File Tab
  
and select Save to save the 
additions that have been made 
 
2 
3 
5 
6