Use Functions to Calculate Cost and Current Sales

In this video, you will complete the data tables in your new sheets with functions.

"Functions" are pre-set formulas used to make calculations in Google Sheets.

Instead of manually adding or multiplying a row of numbers, functions do the work for you.

You will use the MULTIPLY and SUM functions to calculate the totals in the "Cost" and "Profit" tables.

Then, you will summarize that data, and find the revenue, in the "Profit Summary." The cost, revenue, and profit will help you determine how much money was spent buying materials versus how much your community earned from sales.

For example, you may think you made $500 dollars selling shirts, but if you spent $200 dollars on materials, then you really only earned $300 dollars.

This information is laid out in tables, which shows the data in rows and columns.

To start, use the MULTIPLY function to find the cost of each shirt type.

The "Cost" is the amount the fundraising committee spent to buy supplies.

In this case, it's the shirts, which are also the units.

You will multiply the cost per unit, or the amount of each shirt at wholesale cost, by the number of units purchased.

In the "Cost" column of the "Cost" table, type an equals sign, then begin typing the word "MULTIPLY." Select "MULTIPLY" from the menu.

Click into the cell of the first number in your multiplication problem.

Type a comma, then click into the next cell you want to multiply.

Close the parenthesis, and press Enter to complete the function.

You calculated the total cost of stocking crewneck t-shirts.

If you see an error message, that's okay.

Check your function and make sure it matches what's on screen exactly.

Then, change the number format, if it is not set to "currency" already, to make sure it reflects the correct type of data.

You could repeat these steps for the rest of the items in this table by using the multiplication functions.

But to save time, click the handle of the cell with your function and drag down to populate the rest of the cells in the "Cost" column.

This applies the function to other cells relative to the rows and columns around it.

Now you know how much your fundraising committee spent to purchase each type of shirt.

Finally, use the SUM function to calculate the total units purchased and total overall costs.

These numbers tell you the total amount of the upfront costs for the fundraiser, or how much the group spent on stocking t-shirts.

Now that you've determined the costs for supplying the shirts, you can calculate how much money the fundraiser actually earned.

Use the SUM function to find the actual number of shirts sold in the "Current Sales" table.

In the future, if you need to complete a particular calculation, consult the Function List.

You might want to divide numbers to complete a budget, count rows of guests when writing invitations, or substitute one place name with another when changing plans for an upcoming trip.

Now, it's your turn: use the MULTIPLY function to calculate costs, change the number format to currency, use the SUM function to total your calculations and determine your current sales, and if you need to complete a particular calculation, you can consult the Function List.