Brother Ensemble PDP-100J, Owner'S Manual

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Spreadsheet 153
Using Built–in Functions in Formulas
Built-in functions perform common calculations automatically. You use
them in formulas to simplify your work. For example, the SUM function
totals a group of numbers; the AVG function computes the average of a
group of numbers; and the NPV function computes the net present value
of an investment.
Spreadsheet provides functions you can use to perform the following
types of calculations:
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Financial
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Information
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Logical
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Math
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Print
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Statistical
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String
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Time and Date
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Trigonometric
This section gives the general procedures for using built-in functions.
Descriptions of each of the built-in functions are included in the
Appendix.
Keywords and arguments
Each built in function includes a keyword like SUM or AVG. Most
functions also require that you specify arguments . Arguments are the
data that functions use in a calculation, such as the numbers you want to
total. An argument can be a value, text string, reference, function, or
formula. The arguments determine the result of the function.
For example, the financial function PMT calculates the payment required
for a loan. The arguments for the PMT function are the principal amount,
interest rate, and term of the loan. The illustration at the left shows how
you might use the PMT function to compute a loan payment.
Cell A1 contains the following formula: =PMT(10000,8.75%/12,48) .
This formulauses the PMT function to tell Spreadsheet to compute the
monthly loan payment for a 48-month loan of $10,000 at an interest rate
of 8.75% per year.