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Using Microsoft Works Spreadsheets Formulas

By Ted French Ted French Writer Former Lifewire writer Ted French is a Microsoft Certified Professional who teaches and writes about spreadsheets and spreadsheet programs. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on December 2, 2020 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

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Expand Jump to a Section Write the Formula Cell References Update Formulas Mathematical Operators Order of Operations Enter the Data You can use spreadsheet formulas for basic number-crunching, such as addition or subtraction, and more complex calculations such as payroll deductions or averaging a student's test results. If you change the data, MS Works will automatically recalculate the answer without you having to re-enter the formula. MS Works was discontinued in 2007 and is no longer supported by Microsoft. For more current functionality, switch to a current version of Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

Writing the Formula

MS Works Spreadsheet Formulas. Writing formulas in an MS Works spreadsheet is a little different from how it is done in math class. An MS Works formula starts with an equal sign ( = ) rather than ending with it. The equal sign always goes in the cell where you want the formula answer to appear. The equal sign informs MS Works that what follows is part of a formula and not just a name or a number. An MS Works formula would like this:
=3 + 2 Rather than:
3 + 2 =

Cell References in Formulas

MS Works Spreadsheet Formulas. While the formula in the previous step works, it has one drawback. If you want to change the data being calculated, you need to edit or rewrite the formula. A better way would be to write the formula so that you can change the data without having to change the formula itself. To do this, you would type the data into cells and then, in the formula, tell MS Works which cells in the spreadsheet the data is located in. A cell's location in the spreadsheet is referred to as its cell reference. To find a cell reference, look at the column headings to find which column the cell is in and across to find which row it is in.​ The cell reference is a combination of the column letter and row number -- such as A1, B3, or Z345. When writing cell references, the column letter always comes first. So, instead of writing this formula in cell C1: = 3 + 2 Write this instead: = A1+ A2 When you click on a cell containing a formula in MS Works (see the image above), the formula always appears in the formula bar located above the column letters.

Updating MS Works Spreadsheets Formulas

MS Works Spreadsheet Formulas. When you use cell references in an MS Works spreadsheet formula, the formula will automatically update whenever the relevant data in the spreadsheet changes. For example, if you realize that the data in cell A1 should have been an 8 instead of a 3, you only need to change the contents of cell A1. MS Works updates the answer in cell C1. The formula itself doesn't need to change because it was written using cell references. You can easily change the data. Select cell A1 Type an 8 Press the ENTER key on the keyboard The answer in cell C1, where the formula is, immediately changes from 5 to 10, but the formula itself is unchanged.

Mathematical Operators in Formulas

The mathematical operator keys used to create MS Works Spreadsheets Formulas. Creating formulas in an MS Works Spreadsheets is not difficult. Just combine the cell references of your data with the correct mathematical operator. The mathematical operators used in MS Works spreadsheets formulas are similar to the ones used in math class. Subtraction - minus sign ( - )Addition - plus sign ( + )Division - forward-slash ( / )Multiplication - asterisk (* )Exponentiation - caret (^ )

Order of Operations

If more than one operator is used in a formula, there is a specific order that MS Works will follow to perform these mathematical operations. This order of operations can be changed by adding brackets to the equation. An easy way to remember the order of operations is to use the acronym: BEDMAS The Order of Operations is: Brackets
Exponents
Division
Multiplication
Addition
Subtraction Any operation(s) contained in brackets will be carried out first Exponents are carried out second. MS Works considers division or multiplication operations to be of equal importance and carries out these operations in the order they occur left to right in the equation. MS Works also considers addition and subtraction to be of equal importance. Whichever one appears first in an equation, either addition or subtraction, is the operation carried out first.

MS Works Spreadsheets Formula Tutorial Step 1of 3 - Entering the Data

MS Works Spreadsheet Formulas. Let's try a step by step example. We will write a simple formula in an MS Works spreadsheet to add the numbers 3 + 2. It's best to enter all of your data into the spreadsheet before you begin creating formulas. This way, you will know if there are any layout problems, and it is less likely that you will need to correct your formula later. Type a 3 in cell A1 and press the ENTER key on the keyboard. Type a 2 in cell A2 and press the ENTER key on the keyboard. MS Works Spreadsheet Formulas. When creating formulas in MS Works Spreadsheets, you ALWAYS start by typing the equal sign. You type it in the cell where you want the answer to appear. Select cell C1(outlined in black in the image) with your mouse pointer. Type the equal sign in cell C1. After typing the equal sign in step 2, you have two choices for adding cell references to the spreadsheet formula. You can type them in or, You can use an MS Works feature called ​​pointing. Pointing allows you to click with your mouse on the cell containing your data to add its cell reference to the formula. Select cell A1 with the mouse pointer Type a plus ( + ) sign Click on cell A2 with the mouse pointer Press the ENTER key on the keyboard The answer 5 should appear in cell C1. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire Google Sheets Formula Tutorial How to Subtract Dates in Excel How to Combine the ROUND and SUM Functions in Excel How to Sum Columns or Rows in Google Sheets How to Hide and Unhide Columns, Rows, and Cells in Excel How to Use Google Sheets How to Use the Google Spreadsheets AVERAGE Function How to Add Numbers in Excel Using a Formula Relative, Absolute, and Mixed Cell References in Excel and Sheets Excel SUMIFS: Sum Only Values Meeting Multiple Criteria How to Count Data in Selected Cells With Excel's COUNTIF Function Perform Multiple Calculations With Excel Array Formulas How to Use the Excel DATE Function How to Calculate Percentage in Excel Use Excel's EOMONTH Function to Add or Subtract Months Excel Math: How to Add, Subtract, Divide, and Multiply Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies