How do you use the SUM function in a spreadsheet?

Today, we’re going to learn how to use the SUM function in a spreadsheet. This is a super useful function that can help you quickly add up numbers in your spreadsheet, making your life easier when dealing with calculations. 

Let’s say we’re running a small store and want to find out the total revenue we made for the week. We have a spreadsheet with daily revenue numbers, and we want to add them up. The SUM function is perfect for this! 

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use the SUM function: 

1.  First, open up your spreadsheet program and ensure your data is ready. In our example, we have daily revenue numbers in cells A1 to A7. 

2.  Next, Click on an empty cell where you want the total revenue to appear. For our example, let’s choose cell A9. 

3.  Then, let’s start typing the SUM function. Begin with an equal sign (=) followed by the word “SUM.” Your spreadsheet program might even suggest the function as you start typing, so you can just click on it. Your formula should now look like this: =SUM( 

4.  Now, we need to specify the range of cells that we want to add up. In our example, that’s cells A1 to A7. Click on the first cell (A1) and then drag your cursor to the last cell (A7), highlighting all the cells in between. Alternatively, you can manually type the range as “A1:A7”. Your formula should now look like this: =SUM(A1:A7) 

5.  To finish the formula, close the parentheses and hit “Enter.” Your formula should now look like this: =SUM(A1:A7) 

Voila! The total revenue for the week should now be displayed in cell A9.

Using the SUM function is that easy! It’s a handy tool that can save you time and effort when working with numbers in a spreadsheet. And remember, this is just one example of how you can use the SUM function in a real-world business scenario. You can apply this to any situation where you need to add up a range of numbers quickly.