Excel Beginners

Intro To Formulas: Step 3 To Mastering Spreadsheets

Bridges, but for formulas

The Four Components Of A Formula - Operators

Overview

These are the linking material within any formula. They follow much of what standard mathematics has offered in the way of notation, such as: the plus symbol (+) for addition, the dash symbol (-) for subtraction, the forward slash symbol (/) for division, and the asterisk symbol (*) for multiplication. These are, however, not the only operators which exist within Excel. Under the title of an operator we will also include the three special characters which are used to apply flexibility and inclusion to a formula.

Using Operators

Operators are necessary in most formulas, as they are the only way to successfully link otherwise independent arguments together in one cell. There are operators which provide support for mathematical equations, some for text values, and other more universal operators which apply to any value. The three special characters within Excel are normally applied to text values, but in reality, they can also be applied to numerical values as well. While they operate similarly, there are important distinctions between them which make each one useful in its own right.

Here is a list of operators within Excel, as well as how they operate, by category:

Mathematics (used on numerical values)

(+) addition – will add the value of the numbers on either side of the operator together

(-) subtraction – will remove the value of the number to the right of the operator from the value to the left of it

(*) multiplication – will multiply the value of the number to the left of it by the value of the number to the right of it

(/) division – will divide the value of the number to the left of the operator by the value of the number to the right of it

(^) exponential – will multiple the value of the number to the left of it by itself as many times as noted by the value of the number to the right of the operator

(%) percentage – will treat the value of the number it is placed next to as the percentage version of itself

Comparison (can be used on numerical values, text values, and Boolean values)

(=) equals – compares two values and evaluates if they are exactly the same

(<>) unequal – compares two values and evaluates if they are not exactly the same

(>) greater than – compares two values and evaluates if the value to the left is greater than that to the right

(>=) greater than or equal to – compares two values and evaluates if the value to the left is either equal to, or greater than, the value to the right

(<) less than – compares two values and evaluates if the value to the left is less than that to the right

(<=) less than or equal to – compares two values and evaluates if the value to the left is either equal to, or less than, the value to the right

General (can be used on numerical values, text values, and Boolean values)

(&) concatenate – joins together two values into one string, exactly as they were output

(“ “) text – any value put between quotation marks is treated as text regardless of any other potential data type

Special Symbols (can be used on numerical values, text values, and Boolean values)

(?) single character – this symbol represents any one character in a string

(*) variable characters – this symbol represents any number of characters in a string

(~) negation – this symbol will negative the ‘special’ nature of all three special symbols in a string