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Entering Formula in Excel (continued)

 - In the last part of this lesson, you saw how to add up a column of numbers using the Sum function in Excel. We left the lesson by asking how we could reduce the amount of typing we had to do. We saw that the answer was to use a colon (:)
We can use a colon in our spreadsheet. So do the following:
  • Click inside cell B9
  • Click cell B9 with your Right mouse button
  • A menu pops up, like the one below
Clearing a formula from a cell
  • Locate "Clear Contents" and then click on it with your left mouse button
  • The formula disappears from your formula bar
  • With Cell B9 still highlighted, click inside the formula bar
  • Type in the following =Sum(B4:B7)
  • Your spreadsheet will look like the one below
What your spreadsheet should look like
When your formula bar looks like the one above, press the return key on your keyboard. Excels again understands what you want to do, and enters the correct sum in cell B9.
So, you should have the number 17 in cell B9. We'll now use an Auto Fill to add up the rest of the days of the week.
  • Move your cursor to the bottom right of cell B9
  • Your cursor will turn into a narrow black cross, like in the image below
The Autofill mouse icon
  • When you see the black cross, hold down your left mouse button
  • Keep it held down, and then drag your mouse across to cell H9, as in the image below
Autofill
When your cursor reaches cell H9, let go of your left mouse button. Excel will Auto Fill the formula from cell B9. Because the cell B9 added up cells in the B column, Excel will assume that that is what you want to do with the others columns as well: add them up. So it does the sums for you.
Your spreadsheet should now look like the one below:
Using Autofill to complete the formulas
Notice that the cell H9 is highlighted. The formula in the formula bar reads =Sum(H4:H7). This means "Add up everything in the cells H4 to H7 and pop the answer in the H9 cell."
But we got all that just by using the Auto Fill. We only had to enter one formula for the cell B9 and Excel did the rest.
If you click in any of the cells on row 9 (Click on cell F9, for example), you'll see the formula bar change, with the correct formulas entered for each cell.

Save your work, and remember the location of your file. That's because we're going to be using the same spreadsheet in the next section of the course - How to use the simple mathematical operators in an Excel Spreadsheet.
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