As long as the formulas are done correctly, then yes it the will give faster and accurate calculations. If there is an error in a formula then you may get an incorrect result. Generally though, having a spreadsheet enables you to do lots of calculations and quickly see the changes that happen when you adjust figures.
You use formulas for calculations. Those formulas may contain functions, though not always.
Formulas enable you to do calculations. You can do them in Excel and in Access, along with other applications. You would more associate them with Excel than Access, but Access does have a lot of the functionality that Excel has to carry out calculations, including complex ones and ones that use built-in functions. In Excel you typically use cell references in formulas while in Access you use fields. So a formula to multiply two values could be like this in the two applications: Excel: =A2 * C2 Access: =Sales * Tax
All Excel functions allow you to retrieve information from different areas of a worksheet. See related links for a list of functions and their descriptions.
The primary function of Word is to create documents, Power point is to create slides. Excel can be used for calculations and tables.
In simplest terms, Excel provides lots of specialised financial functions and statistical functions which would to be of use in actuarial science. Also there are all the regular functions for doing calculations available, which would also be a large part of their work. Basically, anyone that has a need to do regular calculations can make use of a spreadsheet to do them.
The main reason for Excel is to perform calculations.
Excel has a wide range of uses for anything to do with numbers. Finances are based on numbers. Along with standard calculations Excel has lots of specialised financial functions built into it. These enable people to do things like calculate payments for loans, returns on investments, depreciation and many other financial things. Excel can also be used to plan things that companies or individuals will do with their finances. So it has many uses in relation to financing.
There are some facilities built into Excel such as validation, evaluation and auditing, which can help in testing formulas. What you really should do is work with values where you know what the outcome should be and see do your formulas give the correct results. More complicated formulas can be more difficult to test and find errors in and it isn't always clear what is causing the problem. As computers are based on the laws of mathematics, there are lots of things that determine how calculations work that users don't understand fully. See the related question below.
A function is a predefined worksheet formula in Excel that allows users to perform complex calculations efficiently. Functions can take multiple arguments and return a single value, streamlining tasks such as summation, averaging, or statistical analysis. By using functions, users can enhance their spreadsheets and automate calculations, saving time and reducing errors.
All legal Excel calculations.
The order in which Excel will perform calculations.
Formulas and functions in Excel utilize cell references, operators, and constants to perform calculations and manipulate data. They can incorporate built-in functions for tasks like summing numbers, averaging values, or finding maximums and minimums. Additionally, formulas can reference other cells and ranges to create dynamic calculations that update as data changes. This capability enables users to analyze data efficiently and automate repetitive tasks.