To add numbers, you can use the SUM function or the addition sign (+). However, they are different. The SUM function adds cells together, as well as the numbers in a range.
The addition sign will not work for the data ranges. For example, the formula =A2:B3+A5 will not have you the sum of each cell in the range.
Example 1: Please add the numbers in columns A and B in the following table.
To add the two numbers together, you can use the SUM function or the addition sign (+).
=SUM(A2:B2)
=A2+B2
Example 2: Please get the sum of the numbers in the range A2:B3 and the range A6:B6 together in the following table.
When using the addition sign (+) to add each cell together, you will get an error because the content in B3 is a text string, while the SUM function will get the sum of the rest five cells with numbers
=SUM(A2:B3,A6:B6)
=A2+B2+A3+B3+A6+B6
Notes: The SUM function
Formula: =SUM(number1,[number2],…)
Explanations:
– Number 1 is required, the first number to add.
– Number 2… is optional, the rest of the numbers are to add.
Cautions:
– Only numeric values can be added. All cells with logical or text values will be ignored.
Explanations:
– The number is required, the number you want is the absolute value.