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Unit 2 · Topic 08 · Data Analysis and Representation (Google Sheets)

Functions (Sum, Min, Max)

Hook

Anaya added the six days on a calculator and got ₹1,690.

Kabir added the same six days and got ₹1,820.

Only one of them could be right. It turned out neither was.

The Story

The Diwali stall had run for six days. Ms. Rao wanted three answers by lunch: the total money collected, the worst day and the best day.

The money sat in column B: Monday 240, Tuesday 310, Wednesday 180, Thursday 420, Friday 275, Saturday 355.

Anaya grabbed the calculator and tapped fast, six numbers in about four seconds. "One thousand six hundred and ninety."

Kabir went slowly, whispering each number. "One thousand eight hundred and twenty."

They looked at each other. Pixel's fan wheezed, which is as close as Pixel gets to laughing.

"Two answers," said Ms. Rao. "One sheet. Let the sheet do it."

She clicked cell B9 and typed =SUM(B2:B7), then pressed Enter. Out came ₹1780.

"The equals sign tells Sheets you are asking a question, not typing a word," she said. "SUM is the name of the job. The brackets hold what to work on. B2:B7 means B2 through B7 — the colon is the word 'through'."

Anaya tried it herself in B10: =MIN(B2:B7). Out came 180.

"That's Wednesday," said Kabir, checking across the row. "Our worst day."

In B11 she typed =MAX(B2:B7). Out came 420.

"Thursday!" said Anaya. "The day of the extra jalebis."

Then she tested something. She changed Wednesday from 180 to 500. All three cells changed by themselves — the total, the smallest and the largest. She pressed Ctrl + Z and everything came back.

"So it isn't a picture of the answer," said Kabir slowly. "It's a machine that keeps answering."

Anaya's stall sheet with the six daily amounts in cells B2 to B7, and three function cells beside it showing SUM equals 1780, MIN equals 180 and MAX equals 420. The stall sheet — six days in B2:B7 #AB DayRupees ₹ 1 2Monday240 3Tuesday310 4Wednesday180 5Thursday420 6Friday275 7Saturday355 B2:B7 B9 =SUM(B2:B7)adds all six days → ₹1780 B10 =MIN(B2:B7)smallest value → 180 (Wednesday) B11 =MAX(B2:B7)largest value → 420 (Thursday) Anaya said 1690. Kabir said 1820. The sheet said 1780 — and it never gets tired.
One range, three questions, three answers that update themselves.

So What Just Happened?

A function is a job Google Sheets already knows how to do. You do not do the maths; you ask for it.

Every function follows the same shape. It begins with an equals sign. Then comes the function name — SUM, MIN or MAX. Then round brackets hold the cells to work on. Inside, a range like B2:B7 uses a colon, which means "through": B2 through B7, so six cells in all.

SUM adds every number in the range. MIN finds the smallest. MAX finds the largest. Each one gives back a number, not a name — B11 shows 420, not "Thursday". If a value in the range changes, every answer updates on its own. Forget the equals sign, and the cell just shows your typing as plain text.

The four labelled parts of the function equals SUM open bracket B2 colon B7 close bracket, and a comparison of what SUM, MIN and MAX each return from the same range. The four parts of every function =SUM(B2 : B7) start signalways first job nameSUM / MIN / MAX the rangecolon = "through" brackets holdwhat to work on =SUM(B2:B7)adds them all up→ 1780 =MIN(B2:B7)picks the smallest→ 180 =MAX(B2:B7)picks the largest→ 420
Same range, same shape, three different jobs.

Remember This

  • Every function starts with an equals sign. No equals sign, no answer.
  • =SUM(B2:B7) adds, =MIN(B2:B7) finds the smallest, =MAX(B2:B7) finds the largest.
  • The colon in B2:B7 means "through" — every cell from B2 down to B7.
  • Functions give back a number, not a label. Read across the row for the day.
  • Change a value in the range and every answer updates by itself.
A cheat card giving the three functions with their answers for the stall data, and a do and don't pair about the equals sign and the range. Function cheat card — stall data B2:B7 = 240, 310, 180, 420, 275, 355 =SUM(B2:B7) → 1780"how much altogether?" =MIN(B2:B7) → 180"which was the smallest?" =MAX(B2:B7) → 420"which was the largest?" DO — start with =, use a colon Check the range covers every row. Change a value; answers update. DON'T — SUM(B2:B7) with no = The cell shows the letters, not a total. MAX gives 420, never "Thursday".
Three functions, one shape, two classic mistakes.

Try It Yourself

List your last six test marks in cells B2 to B7.

In B9 type =SUM(B2:B7), in B10 type =MIN(B2:B7) and in B11 type =MAX(B2:B7).

Now change one mark and watch which of the three answers move — and which one does not.

Word Bank

Function
A ready-made job in Sheets, like SUM, that works something out for you.
Range
A block of cells written with a colon, such as B2:B7.
SUM
Adds every number in the range together.
MIN
Gives the smallest number in the range.
MAX
Gives the largest number in the range.

Questions

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