Google Sheets

Creating simple formulas

Watch the video (3:29).

A convenient and time-saving feature of Google Spreadsheets is its ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide numerical information for you. Google Spreadsheets uses mathematical expressions called formulas that make handling these calculations easy. In this lesson, we'll focus on formulas that contain one mathematical operator.

Most of the time, you will be using a cell's address in the formula. This is called using a cell reference. The advantage of using cell references is that you can change a value in a referenced cell and the formula will automatically recalculate. Using cell references in your formulas will make sure the values in your formulas are accurate.

Watch the video to learn how to work with simple formulas in Google Spreadsheets.

Mathematical operators

Google Spreadsheets uses standard operators for formulas, such as a plus sign for addition (+), minus sign for subtraction (-), asterisk for multiplication (*), forward slash for division (/), and caret (^) for exponents.

Standard operators

All formulas must begin with an equals sign (=). This is because the cell contains, or is equal to, the formula and the value it calculates.

Using cell references

When a formula contains a cell address, it is using a cell reference. Creating a formula with cell references is useful because you can update the numerical values in cells without having to rewrite the formula.

Using cell references to recalculate a formula

By combining a mathematical operator with cell references, you can create a variety of simple formulas in Google Spreadsheets. Formulas can also include a combination of a cell reference and a number.

Examples of simple formulas