Formula Operators and Order in Excel

Excel formulas use operators like plus, minus, multiply, and divide. Learning how Excel reads these formulas will help you build totals and calculations that work the way you expect.

Common formula operators

• + add
• - subtract
• * multiply
• / divide
• () control the order of calculation

Order matters

Excel follows order of operations. That means multiplication and division happen before addition and subtraction unless parentheses change the order.

Try it

If a class sold 8 tickets at 5 dollars each and also raised 12 dollars from snacks, a formula like =8*5+12 gives the correct total. Parentheses become even more important in longer formulas.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting the equals sign at the start
• Using the letter x instead of the multiplication symbol *
• Ignoring parentheses when a formula has several parts

Next step: Continue to Relative and Absolute References.