Is it easier to do math in excel, or just use a calculator?

[Steveclark]

I have a lot of sums I have to add up, and was advised by my boss tha
it would be best to use Excel to do it; however, i'm having a hard tim
figuring out how to add all these numbers together using excel. I trie
the tutorial and it's not really giving much info. Which is mos
convenient to use, Excel, or a calculator? And if it's Excel, then ho
do you get it to do the math? Any help appreciated thanks

 

[Eduardo]

Hi,
Excel is more convenient, look into this web it will help

http://spreadsheets.about.com/od/excel101/a/Excel_beg_guide.htm

In the above link there is a title Excel Math

http://people.usd.edu/~bwjames/tut/excel/

 

[JLatham]

A little more information about how you're entering the information and what
you're trying to calculate would help.
An easy way to add a long list of numbers is to simply enter each one into a
single cell in a column, as
4[Enter]
7[Enter]
8[Enter]
22[Enter]
Then in the cell right below the the last entry, enter the formula:
=sum(a1:A4)[Enter]
Where a1 is the address of the cell with the first number in it and a4 is
the last address in the list. A quick way of doing that is to simply choose
that cell right below the list of numbers and double-click on the Sigma
symbol (backward-E looking thing) in the Excel menu bar; it will put the
formula in automatically for you. In Excel 2007, the Sigma is on the Home
group, in the Editing group and is marked with "AutoSum" next to it.

As to which is easier to use, I suppose it all depends on how used to the
tool you are. Advantages of Excel are visibility of the entries (unless
you're using a calculator with printed tape output) and quick revising of
formulas using the data in the event that you find you need to evaluate the
data in a whole new way, and in general it helps remove the human error
factor from the equation (typos, skipped numbers, fat-fingering, etc).

Remember that you can treat cells with numbers in them like the numbers
themselves. Let's say you have need to calculate a running balance (as in a
checkbook): Deposits/credits in column A, checks/debits in B and balance in
C, starting with row 2:
A B C
1 credits debits balance
2 100 =A2-B2 gives you initial balance
3 25 =C2+A3-B3 gives you running balance
4 50 10 =C3+A4-B4
5 73 =C4+A5-B5
the great part about this is that you don't have to keep typing the formula
in column C with each new row, you can simply "fill" the formula into now
cells/rows as the data in A and B grows. See Excel help on "fill data" on
ways to do that.

One more advantage of using Excel over a calculator: these groups which are
always available and filled with experienced users who can help you make your
learning experience much less stressful.

 

[Bernard Liengme]

Another example, I can set up a worksheet to solve a quadratic equation say
x²-5x+6=0
And you could do this with a calculator
I saved my file
Next day we need to solve x²- x -12=0
With a calculator it's start from scratch but with Excel I just type in
three numbers ( 1, -1 and -12)
best wishes

 

[Joe User]

I have a lot of sums I have to add up, and was advised
by my boss that it would be best to use Excel to do it

First, get your a boos a copy of "One Minute Manager". He/she needs to
learn not to micromanage. Your boss has no business telling you which tools
to use for a job. However, he/she might impose certain requirements that
lends itself more to one tool than the other. See below.

Which is most convenient to use, Excel, or a calculator?

Anyone who answers that question with a simple "this is" or "that is" really
has not given the question any thought.

Excel requires a computer, and it takes several minutes to start a computer.
Moreover, you might be more adept at using a calculator, which might shorten
data entry time. For sums of a short list of numbers, a calculator is
usually eaiser.

(You wrote "a lot of sums", not "a sum of a lot of data". But many people
are not that precise in their terminology. So we really cannot infer
anything about your situation from your brief description.)

On the other hand, it is easier to check/audit data entered into Excel,
since most calculators do not provide a record of the data input. And it is
easier and less error-prone to modify the data entered into Excel, since you
would have to re-enter all of the data into a calculator.

Those are reasonable requirements that a boss might ask you to consider in
choosing the right tool for the job. And in that case, Excel would be the
better tool. Moreover, your boss might have unrelated reasons for you to
use Excel for such a simple task; for example, to begin to learn Excel for
other purposes in the future.

then how do you get it to do the math?

In this case, you can probably get away with simply entering all of the data
into a column, then in a cell in another column, put the formula
=SUM(A1:A100), if the data were entered in A1:A100.


----- original message -----

 

[Kevryl]

Not to forget the "autosum" button, which will select continuous column of
numbers and sum them.

Try this:
type in your numbers to be added down a column,
then with your cursor on the empty cell immediately underneath hit the
autosum key. It looks like a pointed capital "E", on the right hand end of
the "Home" ribbon in Excel 2007, and on the standard toolbar in Excel 2000.

I find that Excel eliminates the need for a calculator and gives me a column
of figures I can easily check. If need be I can then do any exercise I want
to on those numbers.