SUM with cell references

Functions are formulas with names. Instead of writing =32+57, you can write =SUM(32,57) and get the same result. The difference is that functions like SUM can handle any number of values: =SUM(32,57,1) returns 90.

Cell references

Functions become powerful when you combine them with cell references. Instead of typing numbers directly, you reference the cells that contain them:

=SUM(A1,A2)

This adds the values in cells A1 and A2. The result updates automatically whenever those cell values change, which is what makes references so useful in practice.

You can also use range notation with a colon to reference a block of cells: =SUM(A1:A4) sums everything from A1 through A4.

Your task

The spreadsheet contains monthly income and expense items in cells B2 through B5. Use the SUM function in cell B7 to calculate the total monthly income after expenses.