Combining Functions
Part of the Fundamentals section of Coddy's Excel journey — lesson 27 of 42.
A function's result is just a number, which means you can do math with it, exactly like a cell reference. Want the gap between your best and worst value? Subtract one function from another:
=MAX(A2:A5)-MIN(A2:A5)That's called the spread (or range) of the data. If the values run from 10 up to 30, the spread is 30 - 10 = 20, one formula, no helper cells needed.
The same trick combines totals. Two weeks of sales in two columns? Add their SUMs:
=SUM(A2:A5)+SUM(B2:B5)Excel evaluates each function first, then applies the operator between the results. Anything you learned about arithmetic, + - * /, parentheses, order of operations, works on function results too. Small pieces, snapped together: that's how real spreadsheets are built.
Challenge
EasyTwo weeks of sales: week 1 in A2:A5, week 2 in B2:B5.
Labels are ready in column C: Total (C2) and Spread (C3).
- In
D2: both weeks combined, add theSUMof each column - In
D3: the spread of week 1,MAXofA2:A5minusMINofA2:A5
Each answer is a single formula combining two functions.
Try it yourself
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Week 1 | Week 2 | |||||
| 2 | 10 | 20 | Total | ||||
| 3 | 25 | 5 | Spread | ||||
| 4 | 15 | 35 | |||||
| 5 | 30 | 20 | |||||
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Test yourselfThis lesson includes a short quiz. Start the lesson to answer it and track your progress.
All lessons in Fundamentals
1Meet the Spreadsheet
What Is a Spreadsheet?Cells and ReferencesYour First CellsRows, Columns and the GridRecap: Meet the Grid