Apple numbers User Manual
94
Chapter 5
Using Formulas and Functions in Tables
To view error and warning messages:
m
Click the icon.
A message window summarizes each error and warning condition associated with the
cell.
cell.
To have Numbers issue a warning when a cell referenced in a formula is empty, choose
Numbers > Preferences and in the General pane select “Show warnings when formulas
reference empty cells.”
Numbers > Preferences and in the General pane select “Show warnings when formulas
reference empty cells.”
Using Operators
Use operators in formulas to perform arithmetic operations and compare values:
 Arithmetic operators perform arithmetic operations, such as addition and subtraction,
 Arithmetic operators perform arithmetic operations, such as addition and subtraction,
and return numerical results.
 Comparison operators compare two values and return TRUE or FALSE.
Performing Arithmetic Operations
To create a formula that performs an arithmetic operation, you use arithmetic
operators. For example, to add three values in a column, you could create a formula
that looks like this: A2 + A3 + A5.
operators. For example, to add three values in a column, you could create a formula
that looks like this: A2 + A3 + A5.
Here are the basic arithmetic operators. For complete information about arithmetic
operators that Numbers supports, see “Understanding the Arithmetic Operators” on
page 95.
operators that Numbers supports, see “Understanding the Arithmetic Operators” on
page 95.
To add an arithmetic formula to a cell:
1
Select an empty cell for displaying the results of the formula.
2
Open the Formula Editor. For example, type an equal sign (=).
3
Enter the formula in the text field following the equal sign.
For example, to enter the formula A3 * B5 + B6, in the text field following the equal
sign you could click or type A3, type * (the multiplication operator), click or type B5,
and then click B6 (if you don’t type an operator before clicking, Numbers adds the plus
sign (+) automatically when you’re not specifying function arguments).
sign you could click or type A3, type * (the multiplication operator), click or type B5,
and then click B6 (if you don’t type an operator before clicking, Numbers adds the plus
sign (+) automatically when you’re not specifying function arguments).
4
Click the Accept button or press Return or Enter to save the formula.
To perform this operation
Use this arithmetic operator
For example
Sum two values
+
A2 + B2
Subtract one value from another
value
value
–
A2 – B2
Multiply two values
*
A2 * B2
Divide one value by another
value
value
/
A2 / B2