INTRO : Spreadsheet Arithmetic

Arithmetic operations are simple to do in Excel. To add the numbers 3 and 2, type =3+2 in a cell, press the ENTER key, and the result, 5, is displayed in the cell. Subtraction, multiplication, and division are done in a manner analogous to addition using the symbols, –,*, and /, respectively. Thus, to subtract 2 from 3, enter =3–2, and 1 is the result; to multiply 3 and 2, enter =3*2, and 6 is shown in the cell; and to divide 3 by 2 enter =3/2 and 1.5 will be the answer. Notice that to do all arithmetic operations we must first enter the equal to sign.
Cell references can be used in doing arithmetic. Entering =A1+A2, =A1-A2, =A1*A2. or =A1/A2 in a cell adds the values in A1 and A2, subtracts the value in A2 from the value in A1, multiplies the value in A1 by the value in A2, or divides the value in A1 by the value in A2.
To calculate a power of a number or expression, Excel used the caret symbol (^). To raise 3 to the second power, enter =3^2 in a cell and the answer 6 results. Another illustration is =A1^A2, which raised the value in cell A1 to the power in cell A2.