LEARNING MODULE

Subject: ICT 9 Grade Level: Grade 9 Quarter: Second

I. Module Title: Microsoft Office Excel 2010

II. Module Coverage
Lesson No. Title Time Frame
4 Formula Week 1-2
5 Advance Functions Week 3-4
6 Charts Week 5-6

III. Module Map

IV. Expected Skills and Values

After accomplishing all the tasks in this module, I can: I should be able to manifest the following:
1. Determine the basic functions of MS Excel 2010 • Appreciation of technology as human
2. Produce functional and creative worksheets using the invention
different basic functions of MS Excel 2010 • Responsibility
3. Differentiate the different charts and graphs in Excel • Creativity
• Orderliness
4. Determine the correct structure of MS Excel 2010 • Accuracy
formulas • Accountability
5. Apply the correct MS Excel formula for simple • Patience
computation of data
6. Create a Spreadsheet using formulas in computing data • Stewardship
• Discipline
• Openness to change

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 Lesson 4 Formula Week 1 - 2

As cited from Tan and Bongalos (2013), formula is a mathematical expression created by the users to
perform calculations. Formulas can be simple or complex as the user wants it. A formula may contain values,
cell reference, defined names, and functions.

All formulas use some combination of the following ingredients (Garaton, 2007):

• Equal sign (=). Every formula must begin with the equal sign. The equal sign tells Excel that the cell
contains formula, not just ordinary text.

• Basic operators. The mathematical operators or symbols that can be used in a formula are:

+ Addition
- Subtraction
* Multiplication
/ Division
= Equal to
< Less than
<= Less than or equal to
> Greater than
>= Greater than or equal to
<> Not equal to
% Percentage
^ Exponentiation

• Numbers. These are also considered in creating formulas as constants or literal values because they
never change unless you rewrite them inside a formula.

• Cell references. The cell references point to another cell or a range of cells which you need as
reference data from in order to perform a certain calculation.

• Functions. Functions are specialized formulas built into Excel that will allow you to perform a range
of specified calculations. These functions span every field from statistical functions to trigonometry.

• Spaces. Excel ignores spaces. However, you may use them to make a formula easier to read. The
ignoring-spaces rule does not apply or occurs with cell ranges, where spaces do have a special
meaning.

Tan & Bongalos (2013) discussed the following in their book Brilliant Computing:

Order of Operations

MS Excel follows the order of operations in evaluating a mathematical expression. If you use more than
one operation in formula, it is evaluated using the order of precedence to indicate the priority of operations.

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 P – Parentheses Excel will calculate any part of the formula that is enclosed in the
E – Exponentiation innermost parentheses first. The next operation to be performed will be
M – Multiplication the exponents in the formula. Then, multiplication and division are
D – Division evaluated in the same level, calculated from left to right. Then, addition
A – Addition and subtraction are evaluated in the same level, calculated from left to
S - Subtraction right.

Applying a Formula

While the operations and the sequence in Excel are similar to how you do things in math class, writing
formulas is quite different from what you are used to. Excel formulas start with the equal sign (=). The equal
sign always goes in the cell where you want the calculated value to appear. The equal sign informs Excel
that what follows is part of a formula and not just a name or a number.

When you perform mathematical calculations, you must make sure that you use cells that contain values.
Values are numbers that may represent amount, price, quantity, score, or any other numeric value. A text
refers to anything that may include combination of letters, symbols, spaces, numbers, and other
alphanumeric characters. Mathematical calculations do no work with texts.

To create and apply formula, execute the following steps:

1. Enter the numeric values in the cells.

2. Select the cell where result of the formula will be displayed and type = (equal sign).

3. Move the cell pointer to the cell values to be used in the formula, cell reference is displayed in the
formula.

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 4. Input the formula operators to be used.

5. Press ENTER key to execute the formula and to display the resulting value.

6. Drag and drop the Fill Handle to perform the same formula to the other cells.

Errors in Formula

When formula is entered into a cell, MS Excel automatically checks for any error. A cell with incorrect
formula displays an error value and a green triangle in the upper left corner of the cell. A common error is
the Division by Zero. For example, a number cannot be divided by zero because the result is mathematically
undefined. Thus, entering the formula =50/0 will display #DIV/0! in the cell.

Select the cell with the error to view the Trace Error button ( ). Clicking this button will display the
description of the error and a list of options.

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 Some of the most error messages are:

#### The resulting value of the formula is too wide to fit in the column or the result is a
negative date or time value. If the resulting should fit in the column, check the formula
for any errors.
#REF The formula contains a reference that is not valid.
#NAME? The formula is misspelled cell or function names; text in the formula is not recognized.
#NUM A numeric value is either too large or too small; a formula has invalid numeric data for
the type of operation.
#VALUE The formula contains the wrong type of argument, such as a label instead of a value.
#DIV/0! A numeric value is divided by zero (0).
#NULL A space was used in formula that reference multiple ranges; a comma separates ranges
references.

An invalid formula entered in a cell causes MS Excel to display an error message. When MS Excel
detects the formula error before it is executed, it will display an error message and prompts you to accept
the proposed correction like the one shown below.

If you click the YES button, Excel will apply the proposed correction. Selecting No will display the error
on the formula and provide options so that the formula can be corrected.

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 Error Correction

To correct errors in formulas, select the cell with error and the Trace Error button ( ) will be displayed.
Click it to show the error and a list of options. However, there are instances when a formula gives you a
result but also a green triangle is displayed indicating a possible formula error. Some common errors in
formula are:

• Formula Omits Adjacent Cells. It means that the formula contains a range of cells and range
does not contain a value in an adjacent cell. For example, the formula =SUM (C2:C28) typed in
cell C29, may produce this type of error if cell C1 contains a column label that is a value such as
a date.

• Inconsistent Formula in Region. The formula does not match the pattern of formulas near it.

Displaying Formulas

You can display the formulas stored in cells of worksheet by pressing the Ctrl + ~ (accent mark) or click
Formulas → Show Formulas.

Press Ctrl + ~
Result:

Cell References

A cell reference identifies a cell or group of cells in a worksheet. It can save you a lot of time and they
are useful when you want to make a formula that involves a number of diversely scattered cells whose values
frequently change. Formulas containing cell references are automatically recalculated when the value
referenced cell changes.

Use Reference Operators

Before using functions, you need to understand reference operator. Reference operators combine cells
or ranges of cells for calculations. There are two types of reference operators:

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 Operator Symbol Example Meaning
Range : (colon) A1:B3 Refers to all cells from A1 to B3. Total of six cells
(A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, and B3).
Union , (comma) A1, D3 Refers to two cells, A1 and D3.

A range reference refers to all the cells between and including the reference. A range reference consists
of two cell addresses separated by a colon. A union reference includes two or more references. A union
reference consists of two or more numbers, range references, or cell addresses separated by comma.

Entering Cell Reference in a Formula

When a cell reference is typed in a formula, MS Excel outlines the referenced cell in colored border. Cell
reference can be entered in uppercase or lowercase letters. However, MS Excel automatically changes the
cell reference to uppercase letters.

The easiest way and best way of entering cell reference into a worksheet is by pointing. By pointing,
typing errors can be minimized.

Note that a formular cannot reference the cell it is stored. For example, the formula, = B2*C2 cannot be
stored in cell B2 or cell C2 because this would cause an error called a circular reference.

Editing Cell Formula

Like editing a cell, if you want to change the typed formula, simply click on the cell, type equal sign (=)
and start retyping a formula. To change a single cell address, an operator or a number in a formula, you can
edit it in one of these three ways:

• Click on the cell, place the cursor or the Formula bar and start editing like editing text or number.
• Double-click the cell and edit the formula right within the cell. The formula will not be shown in
the cell unless you double-click it.
• Press F2 key to activate the cursor and display the formula. Edit the formula right within the cell.

Copying Values, Not Formula

If you want to copy the results of the of formula to a different location in a worksheet or to different
worksheets, execute the following steps:

1. Select or highlight the cells you want to copy.

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 2. Right-click and select COPY.

3. Right-click on the cell destination and under PASTE OPTIONS select VALUES.

Result:

Relative Cell Reference

When you copy a formula, cell references automatically change relative to the new row or column. For
example, if cell D2 contains the formula = (B2+C2) / 2, copying this cell to D3 and D4 creates the formula
= (B3+C3) / 2 in cell D3 and = (B4+C4) / 2 in cell D4. Cell reference that reflects the row or column they
have copied to is called relative cell reference.

Absolute Cell Reference

Absolute cell reference is a cell reference that does not change when copied. It is designated by adding
dollar signs in front of both column letter and row number, that is $B$1.

For example, Value Added Taxes (VAT) are calculated using the rate stored in cell E1. The VAT for the
Coke could be computed using the formula = D2*E1 in cell F2. If this formula is copied to cells F3 and F4,
the cell reference E1 would change to E2 and E3 correspondingly. To avoid it, the formula is type as
=D2*$E$1 and then copied to cells F3 and F4:

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 Mixed Cell Reference

A mixed cell references is a combination of relative and an absolute cell reference. Examples of a mixed
cell references, $A1 or C$5.

For $A1, the column letter A is fixed while the row number is allowed to change when copied to other
cells. For C$5, the row number is fixed at 5 while the column letter changes.

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