SUM
The SUM
function in Google Sheets is a foundational tool for adding up a series of numbers, making it indispensable for financial analysis, inventory management, and many other tasks. Whether you're totaling monthly sales, summing up expenses, or calculating the total points in a game, the SUM
function is the cornerstone. Dive into our comprehensive guide to harness its capabilities.
Function Syntax and Parameters
Syntax: SUM(value1, [value2, ...])
Parameters:
value1
: The first value or range to be summed.value2, ...
: [Optional] Additional numbers or ranges to be added.
Step-by-Step Tutorial
-
Using
SUM
with individual numbers:- Example:
=SUM(3, 10, 5)
- Result:
18
- Example:
-
Using
SUM
with a range of cells:- Example: If
A1:A5
has the values5, 10, 3, 8, 7
, then=SUM(A1:A5)
will return33
.
- Example: If
Video Example
Use Cases and Scenarios
- Financial Reporting: Calculate the total revenue over a quarter.
- Inventory Management: Sum up the total products sold across various categories.
- Educational Grading: Compute the total score of a student across all subjects.
Related Functions
SUMIF
: Sum the values that meet a specific criterion.SUMIFS
: Sum values based on multiple criteria.SUMPRODUCT
: Multiply corresponding components in the given arrays, and then return the sum of those products.