IBM Lotus Symphony


Adding a calculation

You can perform a calculation using formulas. The formulas can contain numbers or text, and other data is also possible such as format details. The formulas also contain arithmetic operators, logic operators or function starts.

The basic arithmetic signs (+, -, *, /) can be used in formulas using the rule Multiplication and Division before Addition and Subtraction. Instead of writing =SUM(A1:B1) it is better to write =A1+B1.

Parentheses can also be used. The result of the formula =(1+2)*3 produces a different result than =1+2*3.

Here are a few examples of formulas:

=A1+10 Displays the contents of cell A1 plus 10.
=A1*16% Displays 16% of the contents of A1.
=A1 * A2 Displays the result of the multiplication of A1 and A2.
=ROUND(A1;1) Rounds the contents in cell A1 to one decimal place.
=EFFECTIVE(5%;12) Calculates the effective interest for 5% annual nominal interest with 12 payments a year.
=B8-SUM(B10:B14) Calculates B8 minus the sum of the cells B10 to B14.
=SUM(B8;SUM(B10:B14)) Calculates the sum of cells B10 to B14 and adds the value to B8.
=SUM(B1:B32000) Sums all numbers in column B.

It is also possible to nest function in formulas, as shown in the example. You can also nest functions within functions. The following example of a calculation describes a percentage calculation that you can perform in a spreadsheet:

  1. Position the cursor in cell A3.
  2. Enter the number 150 and press the Enter key. The cursor then moves down to cell A4.
  3. Enter the number 16 in cell A4. This time, however, press the Tab key to move the cursor to the right to cell B4.
  4. Enter =A3*A4/100 in cell B4. When you start the input with an equal sign (=), you are indicating that you want to enter a formula. The formula displays in the input line of the formula bar. Example formula in the spreadsheet.
  5. Press Enter to finish the formula and see the result of the calculation (16 percent of 150) in cell B4.
  6. Click cell A3, enter 200, and press the Enter key. Notice that the calculation result is adjusted automatically.
  7. Click cell B4, and then click at the end of the formula in the input line of the formula bar. A blinking text cursor indicates that you can make a new entry.
  8. Add + A3 to the formula and press the Enter key. The newly calculated value of the formula displays in cell B4: the previous 16 percent of A3 plus the contents of A3.

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