As you start out in any kind of venture, like a new business or project, having access to a spreadsheet program is invaluable. Google offers a free spreadsheet through its Google Documents site. The spreadsheets are free, and you can share them with other users over the Internet to update them. You also can enter formulas into a cell to generate financial data or to perform mathematical functions.
1. Click "Documents" at the top of Google.com to enter Google Documents. Enter your Google username and password if necessary.
2. Click "Create" then "Spreadsheet" to open a new spreadsheet. You also can open an existing spreadsheet, if you have any, by clicking on it.
3. Click in a cell on the spreadsheet to select it.
4. Type "=" in the fx field to indicate you are adding an equation.
5. After the "=", you can type different types of functions. For example, type "SUM(A2:A6)" to add the contents of cells A2 through A6 together. "TAN" will return the tangent of the selected cell. "MINUS" will subtract the second cell you list from the first. See the Resources for a list of functions you can use.
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