Understanding Subtraction in Excel

Subtraction in Excel is a basic arithmetic operation used to calculate the difference between two or more numbers. The syntax Syntax refers to the structure of a formula or function in Excel. for subtraction is simple: use the - (minus sign) to subtract one number from another.

Steps for Subtraction

1. Select the cell where you want the result of the subtraction to appear.
2. Start your formula with an equal sign = In Excel, formulas always start with the equal sign to indicate that you're performing a calculation. .
3. Enter the numbers or cell references you want to subtract, separated by the minus sign -.
4. Press Enter Hitting "Enter" executes the formula and displays the result in the selected cell. to calculate the difference.

Examples of Subtraction

Here are a few examples of how subtraction is performed in Excel:

=A1 - A2

Explanation: This formula subtracts the value in cell A2 from the value in cell A1 and displays the result in the current cell.

=50 - 30

Explanation: This formula subtracts 30 from 50, resulting in 20.

=SUM(A1:A5) - B1

Explanation: This formula first adds all the values from cells A1 to A5 using the SUM function The SUM function adds up a range of values in Excel. , then subtracts the value in cell B1 from the result.

Important Terms

• Cell reference A cell reference refers to a specific cell in the spreadsheet, identified by the combination of a column letter and row number (e.g., A1).
• Formula A formula is an expression that calculates the value of a cell. Formulas in Excel always start with an equal sign (=).
• SUM function The SUM function adds the values of a range of cells together.

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