PRODUCT( ), FACT( ), POWER( ), and SQRT( ): Products, Factorials, Powers, and Square Roots
PRODUCT( ), FACT( ), POWER( ), and SQRT( ): Products, Factorials, Powers, and
Square Roots
These four functions actually offer
the same services provided by many of the simple operators covered in the last
chapter, but, in some cases, they come with a few twists that may save you
time.
The PRODUCT( ) function takes a list
of numbers, multiplies them together, and gives the result. For example, the
following formula multiplies 2*3*3, and arrives at 18:
=PRODUCT(2,3,3)
One interesting characteristic of the PRODUCT( ) function is
that in addition to accepting individual cell
references, it also supports cell ranges. You can
use PRODUCT( ) to multiply all the numbers in a range in the same way you use
SUM( ) to add numbers. Here's an example:
=PRODUCT(A2:A12)
You can use the FACT( ) function to calculate a factorial, which is a sequence of numbers (starting at
1), each of which is multiplied together to arrive at the result. For example,
5! (pronounced "five factorial") translates into 5*4*3*2*1, which works out to
120. Rather than typing in all these numbers and their accompanying
multiplication symbols, you can use the following convenient formula:
=FACT(5)
People use factorials in many areas of math, including probability theory and calculus. On the
other hand, you aren't likely to find factorials cropping up in financial
statements or expense reports.
POWER( ) is a straightforward function used for working with
exponents. For example, if you want to calculate 43, you can use one
of two approaches. You can use the exponentiation operator:
=4^3
or you can opt for the POWER( ) function:
=POWER(4,3)
The POWER( ) function is useful if you frequently use cube
rootsor any other exponential expressions whose exponent is a fractionbecause it
lets you write clearer formulas. For example, imagine you want to find the cube
root of 4, which, on paper, would be written as 41/3. Here's the
operator-based expression for that:
=4^(1/3)
With the POWER( ) function, you
don't need to use the parentheses (and, more important, you have no chance of
getting the wrong answer because you forgot to use them):
=POWER(4,1/3)
If you simply want to calculate the square root of a number,
you can use the POWER( ) function, or you can summon
the SQRT( ) function, which requires only a single
argument. Here's a sample formula that gives you 3:
=SQRT(9)
Comments
Post a Comment