Quick Links
I don’t remember the last time I used a calculator. In fact, I don’t even think I own one! That’s because I always use Excel to perform my calculations, and you can do the same.
Why Using Excel Is Better Than Using a Calculator
Admittedly, using Excel to perform calculations isn’t for everyone—engineers, scientists, mechanics, or anyone else whose work is primarily away from a computer will, of course, still benefit from having a calculator to hand. However, if, like me, you do most of your work at your desk, using Microsoft Excel is the way forward.
Here’s why:
How to Use Excel as a Calculator
Regardless of the type of calculation you want to perform,all calculations in Excel start with the equal (=) symbol. Here are more details about how you may use Excel to replicate the different types of calculations.
Creating Basic Numerical Calculations
Excel can perform exactly the same types of simple calculations that you would tap into a calculator. For example, typing:
into a cell and pressing Enter results in the cell displaying 19, while the formula bar shows what I typed when I select that cell.
you may also follow the same principle when adding (+), subtracting (-), multiplying (*), and dividing (/). For example, typing:
and pressing Enter returns 4.
To calculate using a negative number, press the minus (-) symbol before typing the number.
Excel mostly follows the same order of operations as most calculators, with a few additional operators added to cater to Excel’s advanced tools and capabilities. If the program encounters operators with the same precedence (for example, if a formula contains multiplication and division), it deals with the operators from left to right. Here’s the full order:
Add parentheses to Excel calculations to dictate the order of operations more closely. For example,=6+9*4will yield a different result to=(6+9)*4because, in the first example, the multiplication is performed before the addition, while in the second example, the addition is performed before the multiplication.
and pressing Enter returns 42.
Creating Cell Reference Calculations
As well as using numbers to create calculations, you can also useExcel’s cell references.
In the example below, to multiply the value in cell A1 by the value in cell B1, I will type an equal sign, select cell A1, type an asterisk (*), select cell B1, and press Enter.
To make things even easier, Excel has an AutoSum capability that saves you from having to select the cells you want to include in your calculation. In this example, I want Excel to tell me the average of the values in column A. To do this, I will select the cell immediately underneath the final value, click the “AutoSum” drop-down arrow in the Home tab on the ribbon, and click “Average.”
This method works both down columns and across rows.
Once I’ve checked that the selected cells are the correct ones for my calculation, I can press Enter. If I need to select different cells, I can click and drag the handles in the corners of the dotted area.
Creating Scientific Calculations
Excel is also capable of performing more complex calculations, and you’re not restricted to the options in the AutoSum drop-down menu. Click “More Functions” if you want to create the types of calculations you might perform on a scientific calculator.
Alternatively, use this list as a starting point for typing calculations manually:
Square root
=sqrt(x)
=sqrt(16) returns 4
nth root
=x^(1/n)
=512^(1/3) returns 8
=x^2
=4^2 returns 16
=x^y
=5^3 returns 125
=PI()
Absolute value
=ABS(x)
=ABS(-5) returns 5
Excel also offers trigonometric functionslike SIN, COS, TAN, COT, COSH, and COTH, as well as inverse trigonometric functions like ASIN, ASINH, ATAN, and ATANH. Just remember to type=before you decide which one you’re going to use.
You can also calculate standard deviation in Excel by typing:
and clicking the type of standard deviation you want to use.
Finally, to calculate the logarithm of a number to a specified base, type
wherexis the number for which you want the logarithm, andyis the base. If you omit argumenty, Excel assumes the base to be 10.
Don’t stop at numerical, reference, and scientific calculations. In fact, Excel has over 450 different functions that you can use toperform wide-ranging calculations on your data, so place your calculator to one side and make the most of this powerful program’s capabilities.
