Warm Up- May 1 Understanding Formulas and Functions

Which of the following best describes the difference between a formula and a function in a spreadsheet?

• A formula is always shorter than a function.

• A formula is an expression created by the user, while a function is a predefined operation in the spreadsheet.

• A function can only be used in charts, not in cells.

• A formula cannot perform calculations.

Given the numbers 5, 8, 12, and 15 in cells A1 to A4, which function would you use to find the average value?

• =SUM(A1:A4)

• =MAX(A1:A4)

• =AVERAGE(A1:A4)

• =MIN(A1:A4)

If you want to find the highest value in a list of numbers in cells B1 to B10, which formula or function should you use?

• =MIN(B1:B10)

• =MAX(B1:B10)

• =SUM(B1:B10)

• =AVERAGE(B1:B10)

You have the following data in cells C1 to C5: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50. Which formula will give you the total sum?

• =SUM(C1:C5)

• =AVERAGE(C1:C5)

• =MAX(C1:C5)

• =C1+C2

Which of the following is an example of using a function in a spreadsheet?

• =A1+B1

• =SUM(A1:B1)

• =A1-B1

• =A1*B1

Suppose you have a list of test scores in cells D1 to D8. You want to find the average score, but one of the cells (D5) is empty. What will the formula =AVERAGE(D1:D8) do?

• It will ignore the empty cell and calculate the average of the remaining cells.

• It will return an error.

• It will treat the empty cell as zero.

• It will only average the first four cells.

You are given the following data in cells E1 to E4: 7, 14, 21, 28. If you want to write a formula (not a function) to calculate the total sum, which of the following would be correct?

• =SUM(E1:E4)

• =E1+E2+E3+E4

• =AVERAGE(E1:E4)

• =MAX(E1:E4)

A student wants to find the maximum value from a set of numbers in cells F1 to F6, but accidentally uses =MIN(F1:F6). What result will this formula give?

• The maximum value in F1 to F6

• The minimum value in F1 to F6

• The sum of all values in F1 to F6

• An error message

If you want to calculate the average of three numbers in cells G1, G2, and G3 without using the AVERAGE function, which formula would you use?

• =(G1+G2+G3)/3

• =SUM(G1:G3)

• =MAX(G1:G3)

• =G1+G2+G3

You have a list of sales amounts in cells H1 to H10. You want to quickly find the total sales using a function. Which of the following is the most efficient way?

• =H1+H2+H3+H4+H5+H6+H7+H8+H9+H10

• =SUM(H1:H10)

• =AVERAGE(H1:H10)

• =MAX(H1:H10)