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Business Calculus with Excel

Appendix B Spreadsheet Skills Introduced in Chapter 2

The only new spreadsheet skill introduced in Chapter 2 is the use of nonlinear functions.
Spreadsheets let you use Algebraic functions that you have encountered in previous courses 2.3.1. There are a few details to keep in mind:
  • Multiplication need to be explicit with * rather then implicit putting terms and numbers next to each other.
  • Exponentiation uses ^
  • Square root uses sqrt
  • \(e^x\) is EXP(x)
  • x needs to be replaced by a cell reference
  • In reading -A1^2, Excel interprets the minus sign as a negation symbol which is evaluated as eponentiation. The normal meaning of \(-x^2\) required parentheses, so -(A1^2)
We also introduce Discontinuous functions that are common in business settings 2.3.2. There are a few details to keep in mind:
  • Business transactions are generally in whole dollars or cents, so rounding is common.ROUND and its variants round to a specified number of digits before or after he decimal place.
  • Transactions are often in terms of multiples of a unit size. (Eggs are usually sold in dozens.) CEILING and FLOOR round up or down to multiples of a given quatity.
  • Transactions often have different rules for different sizes. (Overtime hours pay at a different rate than regualr hours.) IF lets you have a formula with cases..
For all these functions Excel and Sheets operate the same.