Defending Dignity A Manual for National Human Rights Institutions on Monitoring Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 8.2.1. Using formulae Formulae are basic mathematical functions; the kind of things you would find on a simple calculator. By typing these formulae into a spreadsheet cell you can make calculations in your spreadsheet. The most common symbols that you will use in these formulae include: Symbol Description = This is the first thing that should go in your formula cell because it tells the spreadsheet that you are writing a formula. + Add - Subtract * Multiply / Divide Basic mathematical rules about the order of functions also apply when working with spreadsheets. For example, the formula =3+5*2 will equal 13, not 16. If you want to change the order of function, you must include parentheses. Formulas inside parentheses will be calculated before any other formula. For example, if you want the formula above to result in 16, it should be entered as: =(3+5)*2. 8.2.2. Addition A quicker way to add up values in a range of cells in a spreadsheet is to use the symbol =SUM (as opposed to linking each cell individually with a “+” symbol). For example, if you want to calculate the total GDP for a group of ten countries, use the following steps: 1. Data on GDP is in column B. In the first empty row in column B, at the end of the list of countries’ GDP in 2010, type =SUM and then an open bracket; =SUM(. 2. Then select the cell with the first country in the group. While you hold the SHIFT key down, select the last country in the group. The formula cell should automatically add the cell numbers. 3. Complete the formula by adding a close bracket at the end; for example, =SUM(B2:B11).This will add the GDP values in the given range. 88