MULTI IN ONE: How to Multiply in Excel

How to Multiply in Excel

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In an earlier section, you saw how to multiply two numbers. You use the asterisk symbol between two cell references:</div>
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<b>= A4 * B5</b></div>
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If you need to multiply more than two numbers, you don't have to do this:</div>
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<b>= A4 * A5 * A6 * A7 * A8</b></div>
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You can use the colon (:) notation to shorten the formula. With addition, you used the word SUM, and placed your formula between round brackets:</div>
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<b>= SUM(A4<span style="color: blue;">:</span>A8)</b></div>
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With multiplication, you can use the word PRODUCT instead. Like this:</div>
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<b>= PRODUCT(A4<span style="color: red;">:</span>A8)</b></div>
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The only thing that has changed here is the name of the inbuilt function: PRODUCT instead of SUM. But Excel 2007 will see the word Product and multiply whatever is between the round brackets.</div>
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You can use PRODUCT in the same way you did for SUM. For example, if you wanted to add up values in cells A4 to A8, and cells B4 and B5, you'd do it like this:</div>
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<b>= PRODUCT(A4:A8, B4, B5)</b></div>
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To give you some practice, try these exercises.</div>
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<b>Exercise</b></div>
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On a new worksheet, enter the number 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Put them into cells A1 to E1. Now use PRODUCT to multiply all five numbers. Place your answer in cell A3. If you get it right, your spreadsheet should look like ours:</div>
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<img alt="Using PRODUCT in Excel 2007" border="1" height="105" src="http://www.homeandlearn.co.uk/excel2007/images/2formulaProd.gif" width="346" /></div>
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<b>Exercise</b></div>
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For this exercise, delete your answer in cell A3. (You can do this by clicking into cell A3, and then hitting the Delete key on your keyboard). Now type a 6 in cell A3, a 7 in cell C3, and an 8 in cell E3. Use PRODUCT to multiply all 8 numbers. Place your answer in cell A5. Your spreadsheet will look like ours below, when you have the correct answer:</div>
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<img alt="Use PRODUCT to Multiply in Excel 2007" border="1" height="145" src="http://www.homeandlearn.co.uk/excel2007/images/2formulaProd2.gif" width="346" /></div>
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In the next part, you'll see how to subtract and divide.</div>
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How to Multiply in Excel

In an earlier section, you saw how to multiply two numbers. You use the asterisk symbol between two cell references: = A4 * B5 If you ...

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In the previous parts of this Excel tutorial, you have been working on a spreadsheet that now looks like this:</div>
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<img alt="Bottom of Spreadsheet" border="1" height="141" src="http://www.homeandlearn.co.uk/excel2007/images/chocAddiction11.gif" width="329" /></div>
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To get the weekly cost of each chocolate bar, we need to multiply the <b>Number</b> of bars eaten in one week by the <b>Price</b>. This can then go in the <b>Cost</b> column. The standard way to multiply things is like this:</div>
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<b>12 x 10 = 120</b></div>
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The "x" means multiply. In a spreadsheet, however, the letter "x" is not used to multiply things. Spreadsheets use the asterisk symbol instead (the one above the number 8 on your keyboard, in the UK). The previous sum would then look like this:</div>
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<b>12 <span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">*</span> 10 = 120</b></div>
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Actually, in Excel, you don't need much more than that to multiply. The only other thing you need is an equals sign before the formula. So to get the answer 120, you'd just enter this into any cell:</div>
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<b>= 12 <span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">*</span> 10</b></div>
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Instead of entering numbers directly, though, we'll enter a cell reference instead. To multiply, then, try this:</div>
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<li>Click into cell D15 on your spreadsheet, just below your <b>Cost</b> heading</li>
<li>Now click into the Formula Bar at the top of Excel</li>
<li>Type the following formula:</li>
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<b>= B15<span style="color: red; font-size: medium;"> *</span> C15</b></div>
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<li>Hit the enter key on your keyboard, and you should get an answer of 5.95</li>
<li>Your spreadsheet will look like this (we've formatted the cell as a currency):</li>
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<img alt="The first Cost has been entered" border="1" height="423" src="http://www.homeandlearn.co.uk/excel2007/images/chocAddiction12.gif" width="592" /></div>
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So to multiply in Excel , you do this:</div>
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<b>= Cell Reference * Cell Reference</b></div>
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You type the equals sign first ( = ), followed by the first cell. Type an asterisk ( * ), and then the second cell. Hit the enter key, and Excel will multiply the two cells for you:</div>
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<b>= B15 * C15</b></div>
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Once you have that first formula in place, you can use AutoFill for the others: </div>
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<img alt="All the Costs have been filled in" border="1" height="182" src="http://www.homeandlearn.co.uk/excel2007/images/chocAddiction13.gif" width="462" /></div>
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After you're done, you should have the same figures that we have in the Cost column.</div>
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In the next part of the tutorial, you'll complete this Excel spreadsheet by adding a weekly cost and a yearly cost.</div>
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How to Multiply in Excel

In the previous parts of this Excel tutorial, you have been working on a spreadsheet that now looks like this: To get the weekly cost ...