Arithmetic operators in formulas in Excel - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Sample Data

Sample numbers in cells A1 to A3 and B1 to B3 for arithmetic operations.

Cell	Value
A1	10
A2	5
A3	2
B1	3
B2	4
B3	6

Formula Trace

=A1 + B1 * A3 - B2 / A2

Step 1: B1 * A3

Step 2: 3 * 2

Step 3: B2 / A2

Step 4: 4 / 5

Step 5: A1 + 6 - 0.8

Step 6: 10 + 6

Step 7: 16 - 0.8

Cell Reference Map

    A     B
1 | 10 |  3 |
2 |  5 |  4 |
3 |  2 |  6 |

Formula references: A1, B1, A3, B2, A2

Cells A1, B1, A3, B2, and A2 are used in the formula for addition, multiplication, and division.

Result

    A     B     C
1 | 10 |  3 | 15.2 |
2 |  5 |  4 |      |
3 |  2 |  6 |      |

Cell C1 shows the formula result.

The formula result 15.2 is displayed in cell C1 after evaluating the arithmetic operations.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What is the result of the multiplication step B1 * A3?

A 6

B 5

C 8

D 2

Key Result

Arithmetic formulas evaluate multiplication and division first, then addition and subtraction from left to right.