Number formats (currency, percentage, date) in Excel - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Sample Data

This table shows product prices in column A, tax rates as decimals in column B, and dates in column C.

Cell	Value
A1	Price
A2	25
A3	40
B1	Tax Rate
B2	0.08
B3	0.15
C1	Date
C2	2024-06-01
C3	2024-12-25

Formula Trace

=A2*B2

Step 1: A2 * B2

Step 2: 25 * 0.08

Cell Reference Map

    A      B      C
1 |Price |Tax Rate| Date    
2 |  25  | 0.08   |2024-06-01
3 |  40  | 0.15   |2024-12-25

Formula uses A2 and B2 cells for calculation.

The formula multiplies the value in cell A2 (Price) by the value in B2 (Tax Rate).

Result

    A      B      C      D
1 |Price |Tax Rate| Date    |Tax Amount
2 |  25  | 0.08   |2024-06-01|  2.00   
3 |  40  | 0.15   |2024-12-25|         

Cell D2 shows the tax amount formatted as currency ($2.00).

The result of the formula is 2, shown in cell D2. It is formatted as currency to display $2.00.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does the formula =A2*B2 calculate?

A The tax amount for the price in A2

B The total price including tax

C The date in cell C2

D The percentage of the price

Key Result

Multiplying a price by a decimal tax rate calculates the tax amount.