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The modern world is associated with a particularly urgent need to automate data processing. After all, the volumes of information are growing exponentially, and the human mind is no longer able to process them. In addition, this skill opens up new opportunities in business, work and even personal life. Excel is a versatile tool that allows you to do almost everything that can be done with information that can be theoretically imagined. This program is one of the main if a person wants to learn how to make money.
One of the most important purposes of the Excel program is the implementation of mathematical operations. One of them is adding a percentage to a number. Suppose we are faced with the task of adding a certain percentage to some value in order to understand how much sales have grown as a percentage. Or you work as a trader in a bank or an investment company, and you need to understand how stock or currency quotes have changed after an asset has grown by a certain percentage. Today you will learn what you need to do to add a percentage to a numeric value in a spreadsheet.
How to add a percentage to a number in Excel manually?
Before you add a percentage to a number in Excel, you need to understand how this operation is mathematically performed. We all know that a percentage is a hundredth of a number. To understand how many percent one number is from another, you need to divide the smaller by the larger and multiply the resulting result by one hundred.
Since a percentage is a hundredth of a number, we can convert a number to percentage format simply by dividing the percentage by 100. For example, if we need to convert 67% to a number, then after dividing, we get 0,67. Therefore, this number can be used in calculations.
For example, if we need to know a certain percentage of a number. In this case, it is enough for us to multiply the number A by the digital value of the percentage. If we need to understand how much 67% of 100 will be, then the formula is as follows:
100*0,67=67. That is, 67 percent of the number 100 is 67.
If we need to add a percentage to a number, then this task is performed in two steps:
- First, we get a number that will be a certain percentage of the number.
- After that, we add the resulting number to the original.
As a result, we get the following general formula:
X=Y+Y*%.
Let’s describe each of these parts:
X is the finished result, obtained after adding a percentage of the number to the number.
Y is the original number.
% is the percentage value to be added.
To achieve this result, you need to turn the mathematical formula into an Excel formula, that is, bring it into the appropriate format. Any Excel formulas start with the = sign, and then numbers, strings, logical expressions, and so on are inserted. Thus, it is possible to derive the most complex formulas based on the numbers obtained as a result of an increase by a certain percentage.
Let’s say we need to get a number after a percentage has been added to it. To do this, you need to enter such a formula in a cell or formula bar. We provide a template, you need to substitute the value that suits the specific case.
= numeric value + numeric value * percentage value %
As you can see, using this formula is not difficult at all. You must first write the equal sign, and then enter the data. The formula is basically the same as the one written in school textbooks. Let’s take a simple example to illustrate. Let’s say we have the number 250. We need to add 10% to it. In this case, the formula for calculations will be as follows:
=250+250*10%.
After we press the Enter button or click on any other cell, we will have the value 275 written in the appropriate cell.
You can practice at your leisure with any other numbers. In general, training is recommended to consolidate knowledge on any topic. It allows you to more effectively understand even the most complex aspects of using spreadsheets.
Adding a percentage to a number using a formula
Of course, you can also manually carry out the calculations. But it is much more convenient to use a formula, since in this case you can perform mathematical operations with the values that are already contained in the table.
First you need to understand in which cell the formula will process the information and display the final result.
After that, we begin to enter the formula, indicating the = sign. After that, we click on the cell containing the original value. Next, we write the + sign, after which we click again on the same cell, add the multiplication sign (asterisk *), and then manually add the percent sign.
In simple terms, using the formula is as easy as using it manually. After the information changes in the cells, the data will be automatically recalculated.
It remains only to press Enter, and the result will be displayed in the cell.
What is the main difference between formulas in spreadsheets and purely mathematical formulas? First of all, that they use the contents of other cells, and the result can be obtained not only from mathematical operations, but also from logical ones. Also, Excel formulas can perform operations on text, date, and automate almost any process that returns a specific result. That is, they are characterized by universality. The main thing is not to forget to write the correct data type.
Before using any formulas with percentages, you need to make sure that the cells are using the correct data type. That is, it is necessary to use, depending on the type of data, either a numeric or percentage format.
How to add a percentage to values in an entire column
There are situations when we have a table that is very densely filled with data, and in which, in addition to the initial values, percentages are also indicated in another column. At the same time, the percentages themselves may differ depending on the line. In this case, you need to do the following:
- In fact, there is nothing complicated. The sequence of actions is essentially the same, but instead of a specific percentage, you need to give a link to the cell.
4 - After we press the Enter key, we get the following result.
5 - Once we have entered the formula in one cell, we can propagate it to all the remaining rows using the autocomplete handle. This is such a square in the lower right corner of the cell. If you drag it to the left or down, the formula is automatically transferred to all other cells. This automatically replaces all links with the correct ones. Convenient, isn’t it?
The scheme is simple if you learn how to use the autocomplete marker. We see that it is possible to keep all the necessary values in the cells. This rule also applies to other formulas that use completely different functions. The autocomplete marker can be used to wrap absolutely any formula.
Examples of adding a percentage to a number in Excel
Real examples make it much easier to understand how adding a percentage to a number works in practice. You don’t have to go far for them. Suppose you are an accountant, and you have been given the task of calculating the percentage of an increase in wages. Or you need to look at the profitability of the last quarter, compare it with the current one, and then, based on these data, calculate the increase or decrease in profit as a percentage.
Let’s give a few examples of how adding a percentage to a number in Excel works manually and semi-automatically. Unfortunately, this process cannot be fully automated unless other formulas are used. But you can make a cell contain a percentage or get it from other cells by calculation.
Cell calculation example
Let’s give an example of calculations performed directly in a cell. That is, the manual method. It will be useful if the desired information is not contained in the cell. Well, or if this data is presented in a different form, for example, in text format. In this case, you need to use the following scheme:
- Open the spreadsheet in which you want to make calculations. The recommended format is xlsx, as it is the most compatible with the latest versions of Excel and supports all the features that are in the latest versions of this program. It is also possible to create a spreadsheet from scratch.
- Double left click on the cell. It can be anything, the main requirement is that it does not contain any information. Moreover, it is important to consider that some characters are invisible. For example, there may be spaces, newlines, and a number of other nonprinting characters. Therefore, if you use such a cell for work, errors are possible. To clear it, you must press the Del or Backspace key.
- Paste the formula matching the template above into a cell. That is, first you need to put an equal sign, then write a number, then put +, then again the same number, then put the multiplication sign (*), and then directly the percentage itself. Do not forget to put a percent sign at the end, otherwise the program will not understand that you need to add the percentage and add the number that is written there. Naturally, this will negatively affect the final result.
- Let’s say we have the number 286 and we need to add 15% to it and find out the result. In this case, in an empty cell, you must enter the formula = 286 + 286 * 15%.
6 - After entering the formula, press the Enter key. In the same cell where the formula was entered, the final result will be displayed, which can be used for other calculations.
An example of working with cells
If you already have a table that lists the data, then things will go much easier. The formula remains the same, just instead of numbers, you can give links to suitable cells. Let’s give an easy example of how this can be implemented in practice.
- Suppose we have a table that describes the sales revenue for certain products for a specific period of time. Our task is to get the same value of revenue, but at the same time with an increase by a certain percentage. In the same way as in the previous example, writing a formula begins with selecting the cell in which it will be written, double-clicking the mouse and writing the formula manually. In this case, you can not only click on the cells, but also write down the appropriate address manually. This will save a lot of time if the person is comfortable with the keyboard.
- In our example, the formula would be: =C2+C2*20%. This formula makes it possible to add 20% to the value.
- Finally, to carry out the calculation, you must press the Enter key.
Important! If the percentage is located in a cell, then before entering the formula, you must make sure that it is in percentage format. Otherwise, there will also be distortion.
Therefore, you need to know how to format a cell as a percentage. To do this, follow these steps:
- Select the entire column containing cell information. To do this, click on its title, and then click on the selected area with the right mouse button. Next, a list of functions will appear, but we are interested in the one that is signed as “Cell Format”.
- A window with format settings will appear. There are a huge number of tabs, but we need to make sure that the “Number” tab is open. As a rule, it will already be open automatically by the time you open the dialog box. On the left side of the screen there will be a “Number Formats” panel, where we are interested in the “Percentage” format.
- The user also has the ability to set the number of characters to be displayed after the decimal point. That is, you can round the fractional part to a certain digit.
We see that there are no difficulties. You just need to understand the specifics of how data is generated in Excel, what formats are available and what features they may have. If you do this, you may not need to know absolutely everything. After all, it is enough to understand the logic of Excel processes, and the result will not keep you waiting.