Are you familiar with matrix formulas in Google Sheets? If not, you’re missing out on a powerful tool that can revolutionize your spreadsheet work. Matrix formulas allow you to work with ranges of cells instead of just single values, opening up a whole new world of possibilities. In this article, I’ll demystify matrix formulas and show you how to leverage their power for your data manipulation needs.
What Are Matrix Formulas in Google Sheets?
Matrix formulas may sound intimidating, but they’re actually quite straightforward once you understand their purpose. In simple terms, matrix formulas enable you to display values returned in multiple rows and/or columns and use non-matrix functions with data sets.
Let’s illustrate this with an example. Imagine you have a dataset showing the quantity and cost of four different products. You want to calculate the total cost of all four products. Normally, you would need to add a formula in column D to multiply the values in columns B and C for each row, and then sum up the results at the bottom of column D. However, matrix formulas allow you to skip this step and get the answer directly with a single formula.
How Does the Formula Work?
So, how does this formula work exactly? Normally, when we use the multiplication operator (*) in a spreadsheet, we give it two numbers or two cells to multiply together. However, in this case, we’re giving it two ranges, or sets, of data. To let Google Sheets know that we want to use a matrix formula, we have two options. We can either type the word “ArrayFormula” and wrap our formula with opening and closing square brackets, or, more conveniently, we can simply press Ctrl + Shift + Enter (Cmd + Shift + Enter on a Mac) and Google Sheets will automatically add the ArrayFormula wrapper for us.
By doing this, Google Sheets will return an array where each cell corresponds to a row in the original datasets. Essentially, for each row, Google performs the calculation and includes the result in our output array. This can be better understood with the following formula and explanation:
ArrayFormula(B2:B5 * C2:C5)In the above formula, the multiplication is done for each row, resulting in an array of calculated values. Finally, we use the SUM function to add up the four numbers and get the total cost.
Matrix formulas are a powerful tool for manipulating data and performing advanced calculations in Google Sheets. Once you grasp the basics of how they work, you’ll be able to unlock the full potential of Google Sheets for your computing tasks.
If you want to delve deeper into matrix formulas and learn more about Google Sheets and other productivity tools, be sure to visit Crawlan.com. Our comprehensive guides and tutorials will help you master the art of data manipulation and take your spreadsheet skills to the next level.
Now that you know the secret to using matrix formulas in Google Sheets, go forth and conquer your data with confidence!
