To enter the = symbol for a purpose other than creating a formula as described in this chapter, type an apostrophe or single quotation mark before the =. If the data needed was on different worksheets they would be referenced by referring to the worksheet, for example =SUM(Sheet2.B12+Sheet3.A11). These cell references allow formulas to use data from anywhere in the worksheet being worked on or from any other worksheet in the workbook that is opened. Other ways of entering formulas are shown in Table 1. The plus sign indicates that the contents of cells B3 and B4 are to be added together and then have the result in the cell holding the formula. Note that the formula was shown as =B3 + B4. In this case, cells B3 and B4 were the data holders with B5 the cell where the calculation was performed.

While the calculation on the left was accomplished in only one cell, the real power is shown on the right where the data is placed in cells and the calculation is performed using references back to the cells. A mathematical calculation like 15 + 46 can be accomplished as shown below.

With formulas, the equals sign indicates that the cell will be used for a calculation. Entering data is accomplished simply by typing in the cell and moving to the next cell or pressing Enter. Starting with anything else causes the formula to be treated as if it were text.Įach cell on the worksheet can be used as a data holder or a place for data calculations.

Either way, you need to start a formula with one of the following symbols: =, + or. You can enter formulas in two ways, either directly into the cell itself, or at the input line.

Open office spreadsheet