Excel's Formula - sisman

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Part IV: Array Formulas
A multicell array formula
Figure 14-1 shows a simple worksheet set up to calculate product sales. Normally, you would calculate
the value in column D (total sales per product) with a formula such as the one that follows,
and then copy this formula down the column:
=B2*C2
After copying the formula, the worksheet contains six formulas in column D.
Figure 14-1: Column D contains formulas to calculate the total sales for each product.
Another alternative uses a single formula (an array formula) to calculate all six values in D2:D7.
This single formula occupies six cells and returns an array of six values.
To create a single array formula to perform the calculations, follow these steps:
1. Select a range to hold the results.
In this example, the range is D2:D7.
2. Enter the following formula:
=B2:B7*C2:C7
3. Normally, you press Enter to enter a formula. Because this is an array formula, however,
you press Ctrl+Shift+Enter.
The formula is entered into all six selected cells. If you examine the Formula bar, you’ll see the
following:
{=B2:B7*C2:C7}
Excel places curly brackets around the formula to indicate that it’s an array formula.
This formula performs its calculations and returns a six-item array. The array formula actually
works with two other arrays, both of which happen to be stored in ranges. The values for the first
array are stored in B2:B7, and the values for the second array are stored in C2:C7.