MIN and MAX functions in Excel - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Sample Data

A list of numbers in cells A1 to A5 representing some values.

Cell	Value
A1	10
A2	25
A3	7
A4	30
A5	15

Formula Trace

=MIN(A1:A5)

Step 1: Values in A1:A5 are {10, 25, 7, 30, 15}

Step 2: MIN(10, 25, 7, 30, 15)

Cell Reference Map

    A   
  +-----+
1 | 10  |
2 | 25  |
3 |  7  |
4 | 30  |
5 | 15  |
  +-----+
Formula references cells A1 through A5.

The formula uses the range A1:A5 which includes all five numbers.

Result

    A       B   
  +-------+-----+
1 | 10    |     |
2 | 25    |     |
3 |  7    |     |
4 | 30    |     |
5 | 15    |     |
6 |       |  7  |
  +-------+-----+
Cell B6 contains the formula =MIN(A1:A5) and shows the result 7.

The smallest number 7 from the range A1:A5 is shown as the result of the MIN function.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does the formula =MIN(A1:A5) return?

A The smallest number in cells A1 to A5

B The largest number in cells A1 to A5

C The sum of numbers in cells A1 to A5

D The average of numbers in cells A1 to A5

Key Result

MIN(range) returns the smallest number in the given range; MAX(range) returns the largest number.