Page 54 - 2611_SmartGPT Pro V(5.0) C-5

ORDER OF OPERATION

When performing calculations using a formula, Excel follows certain rules of precedence:

Excel calculates expressions within parentheses (.... , ....) first.
Excel calculates multiplication and division before addition and subtraction.

Excel calculates consecutive operators with the same level of precedence from left to
right.

For example, the formula = 10 + 10 * 2 gives a result of 30 as Excel multiplies 10 by 2 and
then adds 10.

However, the formula =(10 + 10)*2 produces a result of 40. This is because Excel calculates
the expression (10 + 10) within the parentheses first. It then multiplies by 2.

If you are unsure of the order in which Excel calculates, use parentheses, even if the
parentheses aren’t necessary. Parentheses also make your formulas easier to read.

Envision your favourite tech personality as a Gizmo Gadget. How would you paint their
portrait in Excel?

CELL REFERENCING IN FORMULAS AND ITS TYPES

A cell reference is a cell address that is used in a formula to denote a specific cell. A formula
may contain references to other cells. In such a case, the result of a formula depends on

the values in the referenced cells. In case you make any changes to the referenced cells,
the result will automatically be changed.

To see how this works:
Enter 10 in cell A1.

Now select cell A2 and type =A1*2, and press
Enter key.

In cell A2, the value is 20. If you change the value in cell A1 from 10 to any value, the value
in cell A2 will also change.

Cell references are especially helpful when you create complex formulas. There are three

types of cell references used in Excel: relative, absolute and mixed.

52 Computer Science (V5.0)-V