COMPUTER SCIENCES

EXCEL SUMMARY

SUM function

=SUM(N1,[N2],…)

AVERAGE function

=AVERAGE(N1,[N2],…)

MAX function

=MAX(N1,[N2],…)

MIN function
=MIN(N1,[N2],…)
ABS function = absolute value
=ABS(N)
COUNTA function = counts the number of cells that contain any data
=COUNTA(V1,[V2],…)
COUNT function = counts the number of cells that contains numbers (dates and times are
also counted)
=COUNT(V1,[V2],…)
COUNTBLANK function = counts the number of blank cells
=COUNTBLANK(range)
IF function = conditional test on values and formulas
=IF(logical_test,[value_if_true],[value_if_false])
LOGICAL FUNCTIONS (IF, AND, OR, IFERROR)
AND function = returns the logical value TRUE when all the conditions in its arguments are
true. Useful when used with other functions , ex. IF, often used as logical_test in the IF
function
=AND(logical1,[logical2],…)
OR function = returns TRUE when at least one of the conditions of the arguments is true.
Useful when used with other functions , ex. IF, often used as logical_test in the IF function
=OR(logical1,[logical2],…)
TRIM function = removes all the extra spaces from a text string, except those that are
needed to separate words. You can use the text string or the reference to the cell
containing that text string
=TRIM(text)
SUMPRODUCT function = sum of the products of two or more arrays of equal size (if
di erent sizes there will be an error). Any non numeric element is treated as a 0

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=SUMPRODUCT(array1,array2,[array3],…)
SUMIF function = sum of cells in a range that meet a certain criteria. It has three
arguments.
• Range: cells that we want to be evaluated by the criteria. Can contain numbers, text
strings, formulas, functions, expressions, reference to cells.
• Criteria: criteria that we want to apply to cells of the range. Can be expressed as a
number, expression, cell reference, text, function. Criteria including texts, logical or
mathematical symbols have to be included in quotation marks, you don’t need them for
numeric and cell reference. In the criteria you can nest other functions, but their results
have to be consistent with data speci ed in the range. If you have to write “between”,
you will have to write “greater than or equal to” and “less than or equal to”, so you have
two pairs of range criteria.
• Sum_range: range of cells that contains the values to be summed. Sum cells that are
di erent from this in the range. If we want to sum the cells speci ed in the range the
sum_range can be omitted
=SUMIF(range,criteria,[sum_range])
STATISTICAL FUNCTIONS (AVERAGE, MAX, MIN, COUNTA, COUNTBLANK, COUNT,
COUNTIF, AVERAGEIF, COUNTIFS, AVERAGEIFS, RANK. EQ)
COUNTIF function = numbers of cells in a range that meet certain criteria. Two arguments:
• Range: Cells to be counted
• Criteria: criteria that determines if the cells should be included in the count or not. Can be
expressed as a number, expression, cell reference, text string, function. Criteria including
texts, logical or mathematical symbols have to be included in quotation marks, you don’t
need them for numeric and cell reference. In the criteria you can nest other functions, but
their results have to be consistent with data speci ed in the range.
=COUNTIF(range,criteria)
AVERAGEIF function = returns the average of the cells in a range meeting a certain criteria.
Three arguments.
• Range: Range on which the criteria are applied. Can contain numbers, text strings,
formulas, functions, reference to cells. Cells containing TRUE or FLASE are ignored.
• Criteria: criteria to be applied to the cells in the range. Can be expressed as a number,
expression, cell reference, text, function. Empty cells are considered as 0. Criteria
including texts, logical or mathematical symbols have to be included in quotation marks,
you don’t need them for numeric and cell reference. In the criteria you can nest other
functions, but their results have to be consistent with data speci ed in the range.
• Average_range: reference to the cells on which the average is computed. The dimension
of this range can be di erent from the one speci ed in the range. It can be omitted if we
want to calculate the average in the same cells on which there was the criteria. Empty
cells or those containing text strings are ignored. If entire range of cells in average_range
is empty or contains text string we are going to have an error.
=AVERAGEIF(range,criteria,[average_range])
FINANCIAL FUNCTIONS (PMT, PPMT, IPMT, RATE, FV, PV, NPV, IRR)
PMT function = calculate the periodic payment for a loan or a mortgage based on constant
payments and a constant interest rate. We need principal, interest rate applied to the loan,
term of the loan, when periodic payments are made. The function has 5 arguments:

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• Rate: interest rate for a period

• Nper: total term of the loan expressed as the total number of payments to be made to
pay back the principal
• Pv: present value of the payments, principal
• Fv: future value to be paid after the last payment has been made
• Type: 0 or 1, indicates if the payments are made at the end or at the beginning of each
period
Fv and type are optional and if you omit them they will be assigned the value 0.
To get correct results you have to be coherent in using the units of rate and nper. Rate/12
and nper*12. Money in ows are positive, money out ows are negative (PMT). We
have a positive result when a bank gran a mortgage (installments in ows, principal
out ow, PMT positive). Constant amortization rate. Principal payment and interest
payment are opposite over time.
Total cash outlay is equal to the loan from the perspective of who is paying back
and we multiply the constant instalment by the total number of installments.
=PMT(rate,nper,pv,[fv],[type])
FV function = computes the future value of an investment based on periodic
payments and a constant interest rate. We need interest rate, length of an
investment, amount of constant periodic payments, when payments are made. To
has ve arguments:
• Rate: interest rate for a single period
• Nper: total length of the investment, total numbers of payments to be made
• Pmt: amount of constant payments to be made
• Pv: payment made at the beginning of the investment in addition to periodic and
constant payments
• Type: 0 or 1, indicates if the payments are made at the end or at the beginning of each
period
• Rate and nper are required. You have to put at least one between pmt and pv, if both
missing there will be 0. The type is optional and the omitted is 0. Remember the
considerations for PMT functions.
=FV(rate,nper,pmt,[pv],[type])
SUMIFS function = sum of cells in a range that meet one or more criteria simultaneously.
Three required arguments:
Sum_range: reference to cells that carries the value to be summed
Criteria_range1: reference to cells to which we apply criteria1
Criteria1: criteria to be applied to cells of the criteria_range1
Criteria_range2: similar to the 1
Criteria2: similar to the 1
Similar peculiarities to the ones stated before. See pag. 84-85

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=SUMIFS(sum_range,criteria_range1,criteria1,[criteria_range2],[criteria2],[…])
COUNTIFS function = cells in a range that satisfy one or more criteria. Similar to COUNTIF
function.
Criteria_range1: range to which we apply criteria1
Criteria1: criteria to be applied to criteria_range1
Criteria_range2: similar to the 1
Criteria2: similar to the 1
Counts only the cells for which all the criteria are true at the same time
Similar peculiarities to the ones stated before. See pag. 130
=COUNTIFS(criteria_range1,criteria1,[criteria_range2,criteria2],[…])
AVERAGEIFS function = the average of all the cells that meet one or more criteria. Three
required arguments and the others are optional.
Average_range: range on which the average must be computed. Every cells is included in
the computation only if all the criteria are satis ed at the same time, otherwise error.
Di erent criteria on the same range will give a null result
Criteria_range1: range of cells on which criteria1 is applied. If cells cannot be converted in
to number there will be a error
Criteria1: criteria applied on the argument criteria_range1
Criteria_range2: similar to the 1
Criteria2: similar to the 2
Similar peculiarities to the ones stated before. See pag. 131-133
=AVERAGEIFS(average_range,criteria_range1,criteria1,[criteria_range2,criteria2],[…])
TEXT FUNCTIONS (LEFT, RIGHT, MID, CONCATENATE, LEN, SEARCH, TEXT, UPPER,
LOWER, PROPER, TRIM)
LEFT and RIGHT functions = rst characters in a text string, based on the number of
characters speci ed, left starts from the beginning, right starts from the end. Two
arguments:
• Text: from which we want to extract
• Num_chars: number of characters that we want to extract. >= 0. When omitted it is 1. If
we pot a negative value there is an error
=LEFT(text,[num_chars])
=RIGHT(text,[num_chars])
MID function = number of characters from a text string, starting from a speci ed position.
Three arguments:
• Text: from which we want to extract
• Start_num: position of the rst character. >= 1 otherwise error
• Num_chars: number of characters that we want to extract. >= 0. If we pot a negative
value there is an error

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=MID(text,start_num,num_chars)
CONCATENATE function = joins two or more text strings in one text string. It follows the
order of the arguments, numerical values are converted into text (so you can’t insert
currency, numbers or dates), possible to insert functions, to add text use quotation marks.
Same result as using &.
=CONCATENATE(text1,[text2],[…])
LEN function = numbers of characters in a text string. Spaces treated as other characters
=LEN(text)
SEARCH function = position of the rst character of a text string within a second text
string. Three arguments, two required:
Find_text: text string to be searched. If not found there will be an error
Within_text: text string within which to search
Start_num: position of the character from which to start the searching. If <= 0 or larger than
the length of the string there will be an error. If omitted 1
=SEARCH( nd_text,within_text,[start_num])
UPPER and LOWER functions = converts all the characters in upper or lower case. One
argument. Not possible to insert a range of cells, numeric values and symbols are not
converted.
=UPPER(text)
=LOWER(text)
PROPER function = converts the rst letter of every world in uppercase and all the other
letters in lower case. One argument. Numeric values and symbols are not converted.
=PROPER(text)

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