solving real life problems in excel

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Using the Standard Solitaire Game to Sharpen Your Problem-Solving Abilities

In today’s fast-paced world, problem-solving skills are more important than ever. Whether it’s in your personal life or professional career, the ability to think critically and find solutions is highly valued. One way to enhance these skills is by playing the standard solitaire game. While many people may see solitaire as a simple card game, it actually offers numerous benefits for improving problem-solving abilities. In this article, we will explore how playing the standard solitaire game can help sharpen your problem-solving skills.

Enhancing Strategic Thinking

Playing the standard solitaire game requires strategic thinking and planning ahead. As you lay out your cards and make moves, you must consider various possibilities and anticipate future moves. This process encourages you to analyze different scenarios and make decisions based on potential outcomes.

Furthermore, solitaire also teaches you the importance of prioritization. You need to prioritize which cards to move first and which ones to leave behind. This skill translates directly into real-life situations where you must prioritize tasks or actions based on their importance or urgency.

By regularly engaging in strategic thinking while playing solitaire, you can develop a more analytical mindset that will benefit you in all areas of life.

Developing Patience

Patience is a virtue that can greatly contribute to effective problem-solving. In the standard solitaire game, patience is key as success often requires multiple rounds of trial and error before finding the right solution.

The process of patiently trying different moves and experimenting with various strategies teaches valuable lessons about persistence and resilience. It trains your mind not to give up easily when faced with challenges but instead motivates you to keep trying until you find a solution.

Developing patience through playing solitaire can be a valuable asset when faced with complex problems that require time and perseverance to solve effectively.

Making Skills

In solitaire, every move you make is a decision that can impact the outcome of the game. The ability to make informed decisions quickly is crucial for success. By playing the standard solitaire game regularly, you can improve your decision-making skills.

As you become more experienced in solitaire, you will start recognizing patterns and developing strategies that maximize your chances of winning. This process trains your brain to analyze information efficiently and make decisions based on logical reasoning.

Moreover, solitaire also teaches you to evaluate risks and rewards. Some moves may seem appealing in the short term but could lead to unfavorable outcomes later on. Learning to assess potential risks and rewards helps you make better decisions not only in the game but also in real-life situations where critical thinking is required.

Enhancing Concentration and Focus

Playing solitaire requires concentration and focus as you need to pay attention to every card on the table and track their movements. Distractions can lead to mistakes that could cost you the game.

Regularly engaging in solitaire can help improve your ability to concentrate for extended periods. This skill is transferable to various areas of life where focus is necessary, such as work tasks or studying.

Additionally, solitaire can serve as a form of meditation by providing a momentary escape from daily stressors. It allows you to clear your mind, focus solely on the game at hand, and recharge your mental energy.

The standard solitaire game offers more than just entertainment; it provides an opportunity to enhance problem-solving abilities through strategic thinking, patience development, improved decision-making skills, and enhanced concentration/focus.

By incorporating regular sessions of solitaire into your routine, you can sharpen these essential skills that are valuable in both personal and professional settings. So next time you find yourself with some free time or need a break from work-related tasks, consider playing a round of solitaire – it might just give your problem-solving abilities a boost.

This text was generated using a large language model, and select text has been reviewed and moderated for purposes such as readability.

Excel Formulas - Solving Real-Life Problems in Excel

Excel formulas -, solving real-life problems in excel, excel formulas solving real-life problems in excel.

Excel Formulas: Solving Real-Life Problems in Excel

Lesson 6: solving real-life problems in excel.

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Solving real-life problems in Excel

Excel can be used to solve all kinds of real-life problems. But how do you turn those problems into formulas that Excel can understand? All it takes is a little bit of planning (and some basic math). To learn more, check out the video below!

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15 Excel Formulas That Will Help You Solve Real Life Problems

Excel isn't only for business. Here are several Microsoft Excel formulas that will help you solve complex daily problems.

A lot of people view Microsoft Excel as a tool that's only useful in business. Truth is, there are a lot of ways it can benefit you at home as well. The key to finding uses of Excel in daily life is picking the right formulas that solve problems.

Whether you're shopping for a new car loan, want to figure out which mutual fund investment is best for you, or if you're just trying to make sense out of your bank account, Excel is a powerful tool that can help.

We picked out 15 formulas that are simple, powerful, and help you solve complex issues.

Financial Formulas

Shopping for a new home and confused by all the mortgage lingo? Looking for a new car and getting confused by the car loan terms the salesperson keeps throwing at you?

Have no fear. Before you take out a loan, do your research with Excel by your side!

1. PMT---Payment

Whenever you're comparing any loan terms and want to quickly figure out your actual monthly payment given different variations in terms, take advantage of the powerful (and simple) PMT formula.

Here's what you need to use this formula:

The interest rate of the loan
The term of the loan (how many payments?)
The starting principle of the loan
Future value, if for some reason the loan will be considered paid off before it reaches zero (optional)
Type of loan---0 if payments due at the end of each month, or 1 if they're due at the beginning (optional)

Here's a cool way to quickly compare a variety of loans to see what your payments will look like. Create an Excel sheet that lists every potential loan and all available information about them. Then, create a "Payments" column and use the PMT formula.

Just grab the lower right corner of the PMT cell you just created, and drag it down so it calculates the payment total for all the loan terms listed in the sheet. The Excel autofill feature is one feature you will use a lot with these tricks.

Now you can compare monthly payments for different kinds of loans.

(A very big thank you to Mark Jones (@redtexture on Twitter) who pointed out that for PMT and FV formulas, you've got to be very careful about using the same period---in this case using monthly payments requires dividing the interest term by 12 months)

This is why our readers are so great. Thanks for helping with this fix Mark!

2. FV---Future Value

The next formula comes in handy when you are looking to invest some money into something like a Certificate of Deposit (CD), and you want to know what it will be worth at the end of the term.

Here's what you need to know to use the FV formula :

Number of payments (or investment term in months)
The payment for each period (usually monthly)
Current starting balance (optional)

So let's compare several CDs using the terms that you know from the information the banks have given you. In the example below, let's say you have a $20,000 inheritance to invest in a CD.

Interest rates are again represented in decimal format (take the interest rate the bank gave you and divide by 100). Payments are zero because CD's are typically based on a starting value and a future value paid out. Here's what the comparison looks like when you use the FV formula for every CD you're considering.

Without a doubt, the higher interest CD over a longer period of time pays out much more. The only drawback is that you can't touch any of your money for three whole years, but that's the nature of investing!

3-4. Logical Formulas---IF and AND

Most banks these days give you the ability to download nearly a year's worth of bank transactions to a format like CSV. This is a perfect format to analyze your spending using Excel, but sometimes the data you receive from banks is very disorganized.

Using logical formulas are a great way to spot overspending.

Ideally, the bank either automatically categorizes your spending or you've set up your account so that things are placed into spending categories. For example, any restaurants we go to get labeled with the DiningOut label.

This makes it easy to use a logical formula to identify whenever we've gone out to eat and spent over $20.

To do this, just create a logical formula in a new column looking for any value where the category column is "DiningOut" and the transaction column is larger than -$20

Note: The comparison below shows "<", less than, because the values in column C are all negative.

Here's what that looks like:

Using IF and AND together in one formula looks tricky, but it's actually quite simple. The IF statement will output the dollar amount (C2) if the AND statement is true, or FALSE if it isn't. The AND statement checks whether the category is "DiningOut" and the transaction is greater than $20.

There you have it! Without having to manually sift through all those transactions, you now know exactly those times when you've overspent in a certain category.

Making Sense of Lists

Lists are a big part of everyday life. If you're managing a household, you're using lists constantly. Excel has some pretty powerful tools for being productive with checklists , as well as other kinds of list formats.

5-6. COUNT and COUNTIF

Excel can help you quickly organize and sort values is a list. Let's take the PTC example. Here's a list of donations from community members.

We want to see how many times a person's name shows up on the list. To do this, you can combine the COUNT formula with an IF formula. First, create a column to check if the person is Michelle or not. The formula will use an IF statement to fill the cell with a "1" if this is true.

Next, create another column that counts how many times you've found Michelle Johnson on the list.

This gives you the count of every place in Column E where there's a 1 rather than a blank.

So, this is the simplest way to do this kind of thing, but it does require two steps.

6-8. SUMIF, COUNTIF, AVERAGEIF

If you don't mind using a slightly more advanced formula, you might consider using one of the many combined "IF" formulas like SUMIF , COUNTIF , or AVERAGEIF . These allow you to perform the formula (COUNT, SUM or AVERAGE) if the logical condition is true. Here's how it works using the above example.

This formula looks at column A, which contains all the donor names, and if the cell within the range matches the criteria in quotes, then it counts up by one. This gives you a count of all the times the donor name equals "Michelle Johnson" in a single step.

It's much faster than using two columns, but is a little complex - so use the approach that works best for your situation.

The SUMIF and AVERAGEIF formulas work the very same way, just with different mathematical results. Using SUMIF in this example would give you the total donation dollars for Michelle Johnson if you use it instead.

Another formula that you can use creatively sometimes is the LEN formula. This formula is one of many Excel text formulas that tells you how many characters are in a string of text.

One interesting way to use this in the example above would be to highlight donors who donated over $1,000 by counting the number of digits in the donation column. If the length of the number is 4 or greater, then they donated at least $1,000.

Now you can add additional formatting to make it easier on the eyes.

To do this, you need to highlight all the cells in the Donation column, select the Home tab in the menu, and click on Conditional Formatting in the toolbar. Then select Use a formula to determine which cells to format .

Set the range under Format values where this formula is true: to the column/range where all your LEN formula outputs are displayed.

In this example, if you make the condition ">3", then anything over $1,000 will receive the special formatting. Don't forget to click the Format... button and choose what kind of special formatting you want for these.

Also, a quick note. You'll notice my range is defined as "$E2:$E11", not "$E$2:$E$11". When you select the range, it defaults to the former, which won't work. You need to use relative addressing as shown in the picture above. Then, your conditional formatting will work based on the condition of the second range.

Organizing Bank and Financial Downloads

Sometimes, when you download information from businesses---whether it's your bank, or your health insurance company, the format of the incoming data doesn't always match what you need it to be.

For example, let's say that in the exported data from your bank and you're given the date in the standard format.

If you want to add a new column of your own with your own that's prefaced by the year and includes the Payee information (for your own sorting purposes), extracting pieces of information from a column is really easy.

10-14. RIGHT, LEFT, TEXT, and CONCATENATE

You can pull the year out of the text in that column using the RIGHT formula.

The formula above is telling Excel to take the text in column D and extract the four characters from the right side. The CONCATENATE formula pieces together those four digits, with the Payee text from column E.

Keep in mind that if you do want to extract text from a date, you will need to convert it to text format (instead of date) using the "= TEXT (D2,"mm/dd/yyyy")" formula. Then you can use the RIGHT formula to pull out the year.

What if your information is on the left? Well, instead use the LEFT formula and you can pull text from left to right.

CONCATENATE really comes in handy when you have some text from a bunch of different columns that you want to piece together into one long string. You can find out more in our guide on how to combine Excel columns .

There are also a few ways to separate text in Excel if you want to want to learn how to fully manipulate strings.

Picking Random Names from a Hat

15. randbetween.

One last fun formula is one you may use if you have to do something like pick some names out of a hat for a Christmas party. Put that hat and those scraps of paper away and instead pull out your laptop and launch Excel!

Using the formula RANDBETWEEN, you can have Excel randomly select a number between a range of numbers you specify.

The two values you need to use are the lowest and highest numbers, which should be at the ends of the range of numbers you've applied to each person's name.

Once you hit the Enter key, the formula will randomly select one of the numbers within the range.

It's about as random and tamper-proof as you can possibly get. So instead of picking a number from a hat, pick a number from Excel instead!

Using Excel for Everyday Problems

As you can see, Excel isn't just for data-analysis gurus and business professionals. Anyone can benefit from the many formulas that you'll find tucked away in Excel . Learn these formulas and you can start solving real-life problems in Excel.

Don't stop learning Excel. There is a long list of Excel formulas and functions that you can learn to use, you might find some neat little tricks you never thought Excel could do.

Image credit: Goodluz via Shutterstock.com

SpreadsheetSolving

solving real-world problems with spreadsheets

Spreadsheetsolving.com’s compilation of free, customizable, printable math worksheet generator spreadsheets

With summer starting, we thought it would be helpful to put all of our math worksheet generator spreadsheet posts into one (somewhat) organized list. We’ve been creating these spreadsheets over the past three years to help supplement math learning for our own kids.

Note that all of these spreadsheet generators are done in Microsoft Excel. In order to use the free Google Sheets software , you can download and save the .xlsx file onto your computer, go to Google Sheets, and then hit File->Import-> Upload, and select the file. It might need some minor formatting/fitting to print.

Math Worksheets

General Math Worksheet generator – allows parent to set the maximum number size, and what operation, generates a random math worksheet: https://spreadsheetsolving.com/build-printable-math-worksheet-generator-spreadsheet/

Fill in the blank Math Worksheet generator – similar to the prior math worksheet, but instead of figuring out the sum in a standard (addend + addend = sum) problem, one of the three is randomly blank and the student fills in the blank: https://spreadsheetsolving.com/a-custom-math-worksheet-arithmetic-fill-in-the-blanks/

Division Math Worksheet generator – the logic and format for a division math worksheet generator was slightly different from the previous: https://spreadsheetsolving.com/printable-division-facts-flash-cards-spreadsheet/

Addition and Subtraction Math Facts speed spreadsheet – similar to the general purpose spreadsheet but designed to be a speed test of addition and subtraction math facts: https://spreadsheetsolving.com/addition-and-subtraction-math-facts-speed-worksheet/https://spreadsheetsolving.com/addition-and-subtraction-math-facts-speed-worksheet/

Number sequence pattern math worksheet generator – here you have a sequence of numbers and can choose spacing, number size, number of blanks for the student to fill out: https://spreadsheetsolving.com/build-a-math-pattern-recognition-worksheet/

Math Dice style worksheet – students try use math functions on the randomly generated input numbers to get to the answer number: https://spreadsheetsolving.com/a-math-dice-inspired-printable-math-worksheet/

Practice with time math worksheet generator: https://spreadsheetsolving.com/printable-time-and-clock-math-worksheet-generator/

Math word problem worksheet generator – this one is a bit crude, but perhaps someone could expand upon it: https://spreadsheetsolving.com/build-math-word-problem-worksheet-generator/

Printable Flash Cards

General Purpose Flash Cards with user input and double sided printing: https://spreadsheetsolving.com/create-and-print-physical-flash-cards-with-this-microsoft-excel-template/

Addition and subtraction with math facts under 20 – Here we use our general purpose flash cards spreadsheet and enter in some math facts that students should have memorized: https://spreadsheetsolving.com/printable-math-facts-flash-cards-for-single-digit-addition-and-subtraction-with-carrying/

Multiplication Flash Cards: https://spreadsheetsolving.com/printable-multiplication-flash-cards-spreadsheet/

Division Flash Cards: https://spreadsheetsolving.com/printable-division-facts-flash-cards-spreadsheet/

Printable division facts flash cards spreadsheet

Today’s post is another extension of our series on flash cards. Since we made our multiplication flash cards last, the division flash cards were easy to make by reversing the multiplication answers:

We basically need double the flash cards since 20 divided by 5 and 20 divided by 4 are two different problems, whereas 4×5 and 5×4 are effectively the same.

Download the printable division flash cards spreadsheet here:

Printable Division Math Worksheet Generator Spreadsheet

Today we’ll build a dedicated division spreadsheet, where we set parameters for the problems and print an unlimited number of different division worksheets.

The inputs we’ll allow the user to enter are the maximum dividend (number to be divided) size, the maximum divisor, and whether or not we want to have the answers be able to have remainders.

So if the user selects yes or “y” for the remainder, the problem is relatively simple – we’ll have a random number for the answer between (1,100) for the dividend, and then a random number between (1,10) for the divisor.

If the user selects “n”, we’ll have a random number between (1,10) for the divisor, and then a random number between 1 and the max dividend/current divisor for the answer, then we’ll multiply the answer by the divisor to get the dividend.

Here’s how it looks like in full:

You can download the printable Microsoft Excel file here:

Printable time and clock math worksheet generator

Today’s printable math work sheet generator will center around the concept of time.

We’ll have two types of questions – one will ask the student to draw in the hands on a blank clock face for a random time. The other type of question will be a word problem that provides a start time and a time increment and asks the student to calculate the finish time. We would have loved to generate a random clock face time and ask what time it is but that turns out to be incredibly difficult in a spreadsheet.

To create the random times, we use the formula =RANDBETWEEN(1,12) for the hours, and then =RANDBETWEEN(0,59) for the minutes, then use the formula =TIME(hours, minutes, 0 seconds) for the time to display. We also added in some logic to allow for the times to round to 5’s if the user puts in a “y” in cell E2.

Check out the spreadsheet here:

Here’s how the final product looks:

Printable Multiplication Flash Cards spreadsheet

Today’s post is another extension of our very flexible Printable Flash Card Generator Spreadsheet . We plugged in the single digit multiplication combinations from 2-9 into the second sheet. To print the cards, print the first sheet two-sided, flip on the long edge, then cut the cards out.

Download the printable multiplication flashcard spreadsheet here:

Build a T-Ball or Softball lineup and positions generator

This season marks my youth softball coaching debut, an opportunity to impart my likely outdated baseball knowledge on a group of 5 and 6 year old girls. Beyond trying to stay positive and excited for an hour plus, the main challenge of coaching is organizing all the various tasks that come up.

One such task is setting a weekly lineup, which requires setting a batter order and assigning fielding positions by inning.

Some of the key rules that we’ll want to implement in the lineup:

Randomize the batting order each week.
Rotate the players on defense so that players don’t spend two innings in a row in the outfield, and the choice spots (pitcher, 1B) get fairly distributed.

Spreadsheet Logic

First we enter in all the names of the girls on the team, and for each week, we’ll assign a random number 1-10 which will be their spot in the order:

Then we can put them in order using Index(match):

Then we want to set up a rotation for the field – we use two columns, with the right column showing what position they will play after playing the left column. Players will rotate from LF to 3B to LCF to SS to RCF to 2B and so on:

We’ll then set the positions for the first inning, then for each subsequent inning, we’ll lookup the next position from the table above with vlookup:

And that’s the spreadsheet, you can check it out here: Softball Lineup Generator

To save a copy, go to File –> Make a copy

Addition and Subtraction Math Facts Speed Worksheet

Today’s post will be another variation of our generic Math Worksheet Generator that we’ve posted before. This worksheet will give students the opportunity to practice their addition and subtraction math facts, so that eventually things like 9+7 = 16 and 17-9 = 8 will come more quickly.

For the subtraction facts spreadsheet, we made the first number a random number between 11 and 18, and the second number a random number between the first number minus 9 and 9, in order to make the answer a single digit math fact.

For the addition spreadsheet, we made the answer a random number between 11 and 18, and then hid it, then filled in the two addends with one random number and then the answer minus the random number.

Check out the spreadsheet here. We’d also recommend using a stopwatch to help students try to increase speed: Addition and Subtraction Speed Worksheet

Dave and Busters breakeven tickets per chip under different chip cost and ticket value scenarios

Today we’ll continue with the theme from our last post on a Google Sheet Dave and Busters profitability tracker . One frequent question that arises in the Dave and Busters Reddit forum is: How many tickets does one need to be winning to be “profitable”?

The answer is usually some combination of “it depends”; it is based on chip cost and ticket value (and perhaps some mentions of finger traps, etc.).

To solve this problem, first we enter a formula for the breakeven tickets given a value/ticket and cost/chip. With some simple algebra, we find that:

breakeven ticket/chip = (cost per chip) / (value per ticket)

Here’s that depicted in spreadsheet form:

Next, we’ll make a data table which inputs various different costs per chip (based on the different price points of the tickets that are offered), and various different values per ticket. The output is this nice table below:

We can confirm we’re only an “advantage player” when it comes to redeeming for burgers and churros for ourselves at 10 tickets per chip breakeven.

Download the Excel spreadsheet here: Dave and Busters ticket breakeven calculator

You can also enter your own values in the Cost per chip (cells B26: B35) and Value per ticket (cells C25: J25).

Build a Dave and Busters tracker for chips spent, tickets earned and “profit”

This simple Google spreadsheet will help you keep track of your Dave & Busters visits and whether they were “profitable”.

Growing up, the local Tilt arcade was one of my favorite places to spent a weekend afternoon. As an adult, I remember being intrigued by an article on advantage players at Dave and Busters – people could win enough tickets to carve out some nice side income.

How many tickets do you need to win per credit played in order to be an advantage player? Today’s spreadsheet will solve that problem!

First, calculate what tickets are worth

We can figure out what tickets are worth by taking the value of a prize and dividing by the number of tickets. A YouTube tour of the Dave and Busters Ontario location from Arcade & Travel Adventures shows the prize center, which has an Oculus Quest 2 for 130k tickets, Airpods pro for 75k tickets. Amazon has the Oculus Quest 2 for $400 and Airpods pro for $180. The Oculus implies each ticket is worth 0.308 cents and the Airpods imply each ticket is worth .024 cents.

Next, calculate the cost of chips

The best deal appears to be paying $100 to get 750 chips. This would result in a cost of about 13.3 cents per chip.

Finally, create the tracker

Our tracker will just be a simple ledger – the user will enter the date, the number of chips spent, and the number of tickets won. The spreadsheet will then calculate the value of the chips spent, the value of the tickets won, and the theoretical profit from the session. Over time by keeping track of all the sessions played, you can find out if you are profitable. Here’s how it looks, including one of my sessions at D&B where I “made” negative $7.88. Oh well, we’ll stick to the spreadsheets.

Check out the spreadsheet here: Dave and Busters Google spreadsheet tracker

Note: You can click File –> Save a Copy to save a copy for yourself to use.

Note 2: It looks like it takes about 43-44 tickets per chip in order to be “profitable” with the Value/ticket around 0.3 cents and Cost per chip around $0.13.

Create a customizable and printable check-off calendar spreadsheet

Now that are kids are getting older, we want to start getting them into good daily habits. This usually requires quite a bit of encouragement / threatening, but what might work best at the end of the day is bribery.

We created this customizable check off calendar that allows the user to pick their “tasks”, the number of days (up to 30), and the prize (we recently introduced our kids to Dave & Busters and they love it). The spreadsheet then lists the tasks with a check box for the number of days selected. The key logic here was the IF() Function .

The spreadsheet can be downloaded here. Enjoy! Habits Calendar Spreadsheet

How a 6% mortgage rate should affect home prices

Today’s post will be an application of our 2019 house rent vs. buy spreadsheet . With the recent jump in mortgage rates to near 6%, we wonder how much house prices are supposed to be down (in theory) if a buyer were perfectly rational and would demand the same internal rate of return from their housing purchase decision.

We’ll pull up our mortgage spreadsheet and enter in some very average metrics for the US:

Home price: $375k, Median rent: $1,800/month, time spent in house before selling: 8 years, rent and other cost inflation: 3.5%, down payment: 20%

We’ll start our mortgage rate at 3.5%, and found the IRR to be 8.12%.

With a mortgage rate of 6%, in order to keep the IRR of buying the house at 8.12%, the house price would have to be $283,430, which is 24% less than the original house price!

Printable Math Facts flash cards for single digit addition and subtraction with carrying

As kids start to add and subtract bigger and bigger numbers, they will have to learn how to “carry” a 10 when adding two numbers that sum higher than 10, and “borrow” a 10 when subtracting a bigger number from a smaller number.

Today’s spreadsheet is an example case of our Printable Flash Cards Spreadsheet , where we put in all the addition and subtraction math facts that students will need to know quickly in order to do longer addition and subtraction problems that may need carrying and borrowing.

Check out the spreadsheet here: Printable Flash Cards

To print – print double sided, and flip on the long edge. There are two tabs (“cards1” and “cards2”) with 72 total flash cards to print. Wish we had some good advice for how to get your kids to actually practice with these…

Define and solve a problem by using Solver

Solver is a Microsoft Excel add-in program you can use for what-if analysis. Use Solver to find an optimal (maximum or minimum) value for a formula in one cell — called the objective cell — subject to constraints, or limits, on the values of other formula cells on a worksheet. Solver works with a group of cells, called decision variables or simply variable cells that are used in computing the formulas in the objective and constraint cells. Solver adjusts the values in the decision variable cells to satisfy the limits on constraint cells and produce the result you want for the objective cell.

Put simply, you can use Solver to determine the maximum or minimum value of one cell by changing other cells. For example, you can change the amount of your projected advertising budget and see the effect on your projected profit amount.

Note: Versions of Solver prior to Excel 2007 referred to the objective cell as the "target cell," and the decision variable cells as "changing cells" or "adjustable cells". Many improvements were made to the Solver add-in for Excel 2010, so if you're using Excel 2007 your experience will be slightly different.

Example of a Solver evaluation

In the following example, the level of advertising in each quarter affects the number of units sold, indirectly determining the amount of sales revenue, the associated expenses, and the profit. Solver can change the quarterly budgets for advertising (decision variable cells B5:C5), up to a total budget constraint of $20,000 (cell F5), until the total profit (objective cell F7) reaches the maximum possible amount. The values in the variable cells are used to calculate the profit for each quarter, so they are related to the formula objective cell F7, =SUM (Q1 Profit:Q2 Profit).

1. Variable cells

2. Constrained cell

3. Objective cell

After Solver runs, the new values are as follows.

Define and solve a problem

Note: If the Solver command or the Analysis group is not available, you need to activate the Solver add-in. See: How to activate the Solver add-in.

In the Set Objective box, enter a cell reference or name for the objective cell. The objective cell must contain a formula.

Do one of the following:

If you want the value of the objective cell to be as large as possible, click Max .

If you want the value of the objective cell to be as small as possible, click Min .

If you want the objective cell to be a certain value, click Value of , and then type the value in the box.

In the By Changing Variable Cells box, enter a name or reference for each decision variable cell range. Separate the non-adjacent references with commas. The variable cells must be related directly or indirectly to the objective cell. You can specify up to 200 variable cells.

In the Subject to the Constraints box, enter any constraints that you want to apply by doing the following:

In the Solver Parameters dialog box, click Add .

In the Cell Reference box, enter the cell reference or name of the cell range for which you want to constrain the value.

Click the relationship ( <= , = , >= , int , bin , or dif ) that you want between the referenced cell and the constraint.If you click int , integer appears in the Constraint box. If you click bin , binary appears in the Constraint box. If you click dif , alldifferent appears in the Constraint box.

If you choose <=, =, or >= for the relationship in the Constraint box, type a number, a cell reference or name, or a formula.

To accept the constraint and add another, click Add .

To accept the constraint and return to the Solver Parameter s dialog box, click OK . Note You can apply the int , bin , and dif relationships only in constraints on decision variable cells.

You can change or delete an existing constraint by doing the following:

In the Solver Parameters dialog box, click the constraint that you want to change or delete.

Click Change and then make your changes, or click Delete .

Click Solve and do one of the following:

To keep the solution values on the worksheet, in the Solver Results dialog box, click Keep Solver Solution .

To restore the original values before you clicked Solve , click Restore Original Values .

You can interrupt the solution process by pressing Esc. Excel recalculates the worksheet with the last values that are found for the decision variable cells.

To create a report that is based on your solution after Solver finds a solution, you can click a report type in the Reports box and then click OK . The report is created on a new worksheet in your workbook. If Solver doesn't find a solution, only certain reports or no reports are available.

To save your decision variable cell values as a scenario that you can display later, click Save Scenario in the Solver Results dialog box, and then type a name for the scenario in the Scenario Name box.

Step through Solver trial solutions

After you define a problem, click Options in the Solver Parameters dialog box.

In the Options dialog box, select the Show Iteration Results check box to see the values of each trial solution, and then click OK .

In the Solver Parameters dialog box, click Solve .

In the Show Trial Solution dialog box, do one of the following:

To stop the solution process and display the Solver Results dialog box, click Stop .

To continue the solution process and display the next trial solution, click Continue .

Change how Solver finds solutions

In the Solver Parameters dialog box, click Options .

Choose or enter values for any of the options on the All Methods , GRG Nonlinear , and Evolutionary tabs in the dialog box.

Save or load a problem model

In the Solver Parameters dialog box, click Load/Save .

Enter a cell range for the model area, and click either Save or Load .

When you save a model, enter the reference for the first cell of a vertical range of empty cells in which you want to place the problem model. When you load a model, enter the reference for the entire range of cells that contains the problem model.

Tip: You can save the last selections in the Solver Parameters dialog box with a worksheet by saving the workbook. Each worksheet in a workbook may have its own Solver selections, and all of them are saved. You can also define more than one problem for a worksheet by clicking Load/Save to save problems individually.

Solving methods used by Solver

You can choose any of the following three algorithms or solving methods in the Solver Parameters dialog box:

Generalized Reduced Gradient (GRG) Nonlinear Use for problems that are smooth nonlinear.

LP Simplex Use for problems that are linear.

Evolutionary Use for problems that are non-smooth.

Important: You should enable the Solver add-in first. For more information, see Load the Solver add-in .

In the following example, the level of advertising in each quarter affects the number of units sold, indirectly determining the amount of sales revenue, the associated expenses, and the profit. Solver can change the quarterly budgets for advertising (decision variable cells B5:C5), up to a total budget constraint of $20,000 (cell D5), until the total profit (objective cell D7) reaches the maximum possible amount. The values in the variable cells are used to calculate the profit for each quarter, so they are related to the formula objective cell D7, =SUM(Q1 Profit:Q2 Profit).

In Excel 2016 for Mac: Click Data > Solver .

In Excel for Mac 2011: Click the Data tab, under Analysis , click Solver .

In Set Objective , enter a cell reference or name for the objective cell.

Note: The objective cell must contain a formula.

In the By Changing Variable Cells box, enter a name or reference for each decision variable cell range. Separate the nonadjacent references with commas.

The variable cells must be related directly or indirectly to the objective cell. You can specify up to 200 variable cells.

In the Subject to the Constraints box, add any constraints that you want to apply.

To add a constraint, follow these steps:

On the <= relationship pop-up menu, select the relationship that you want between the referenced cell and the constraint.If you choose <= , = , or >= , in the Constraint box, type a number, a cell reference or name, or a formula.

Note: You can only apply the int, bin, and dif relationships in constraints on decision variable cells.

Click Solve , and then do one of the following:

To interrupt the solution process, press ESC . Excel recalculates the sheet with the last values that are found for the adjustable cells.

To create a report that is based on your solution after Solver finds a solution, you can click a report type in the Reports box and then click OK . The report is created on a new sheet in your workbook. If Solver doesn't find a solution, the option to create a report is unavailable.

To save your adjusting cell values as a scenario that you can display later, click Save Scenario in the Solver Results dialog box, and then type a name for the scenario in the Scenario Name box.

After you define a problem, in the Solver Parameters dialog box, click Options .

Select the Show Iteration Results check box to see the values of each trial solution, and then click OK .

Click Options , and then in the Options or Solver Options dialog box, choose one or more of the following options:

In the Solver Parameters dialog box, click Solve or Close .

Click Load/Save , enter a cell range for the model area, and then click either Save or Load .

Tip: You can save the last selections in the Solver Parameters dialog box with a sheet by saving the workbook. Each sheet in a workbook may have its own Solver selections, and all of them are saved. You can also define more than one problem for a sheet by clicking Load/Save to save problems individually.

On the Select a Solving Method pop-up menu, select one of the following:

Because add-in programs aren’t supported in Excel for the web, you won’t be able to use the Solver add-in to run what-if analysis on your data to help you find optimal solutions.

If you have the Excel desktop application, you can use the Open in Excel button to open your workbook to use the Solver add-in .

More help on using Solver

For more detailed help on Solver contact:

Frontline Systems, Inc. P.O. Box 4288 Incline Village, NV 89450-4288 (775) 831-0300 Web site: http://www.solver.com E-mail: [email protected] Solver Help at www.solver.com .

Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in Communities .

Using Solver for capital budgeting

Using Solver to determine the optimal product mix

Introduction to what-if analysis

Overview of formulas in Excel

How to avoid broken formulas

Detect errors in formulas

Keyboard shortcuts in Excel

Excel functions (alphabetical)

Excel functions (by category)

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How to use Solver in Excel with examples

The tutorial explains how to add and where to find Solver in different Excel versions, from 2016 to 2003. Step-by-step examples show how to use Excel Solver to find optimal solutions for linear programming and other kinds of problems.

Everyone knows that Microsoft Excel contains a lot of useful functions and powerful tools that can save you hours of calculations. But did you know that it also has a tool that can help you find optimal solutions for decision problems?

In this tutorial, we are going to cover all essential aspects of the Excel Solver add-in and provide a step-by-step guide on how to use it most effectively.

What is Excel Solver?

Excel Solver belongs to a special set of commands often referred to as What-if Analysis Tools. It is primarily purposed for simulation and optimization of various business and engineering models.

The Excel Solver add-in is especially useful for solving linear programming problems, aka linear optimization problems, and therefore is sometimes called a linear programming solver . Apart from that, it can handle smooth nonlinear and non-smooth problems. Please see Excel Solver algorithms for more details.

How to add Solver to Excel

The Solver add-in is included with all versions of Microsoft Excel beginning with 2003, but it is not enabled by default.

To add Solver to your Excel, perform the following steps:

In Excel 2010 - Excel 365, click File > Options . In Excel 2007, click the Microsoft Office button, and then click Excel Options .

Open the Excel Options dialog to get to the Excel Add-ins list.

To get Solver on Excel 2003 , go to the Tools menu, and click Add-Ins . In the Add-Ins available list, check the Solver Add-in box, and click OK .

Where is Solver in Excel?

Where is Solver in Excel 2003?

Now that you know where to find Solver in Excel, open a new worksheet and let's get started!

How to use Solver in Excel

Before running the Excel Solver add-in, formulate the model you want to solve in a worksheet. In this example, let's find a solution for the following simple optimization problem.

Problem . Supposing, you are the owner of a beauty salon and you are planning on providing a new service to your clients. For this, you need to buy a new equipment that costs $40,000, which should be paid by instalments within 12 months.

Goal : Calculate the minimal cost per service that will let you pay for the new equipment within the specified timeframe.

And now, let's see how Excel Solver can find a solution for this problem.

1. Run Excel Solver

2. define the problem.

The Solver Parameters window will open where you have to set up the 3 primary components:

Objective cell

Variable cells

Constraints.

Exactly what does Excel Solver do with the above parameters? It finds the optimal value (maximum, minimum or specified) for the formula in the Objective cell by changing the values in the Variable cells, and subject to limitations in the Constraints cells.

The Objective cell ( Target cell in earlier Excel versions) is the cell containing a formula that represents the objective, or goal, of the problem. The objective can be to maximize, minimize, or achieve some target value.

Variable cells ( Changing cells or Adjustable cells in earlier versions) are cells that contain variable data that can be changed to achieve the objective. Excel Solver allows specifying up to 200 variable cells.

In this example, we have a couple of cells whose values can be changed:

Projected clients per month (B4) that should be less than or equal to 50; and
Cost per service (B5) that we want Excel Solver to calculate.

The Excel Solver Constrains are restrictions or limits of the possible solutions to the problem. To put it differently, constraints are the conditions that must be met.

To add a constraint(s), do the following:

Click the Add button right to the " Subject to the Constraints " box.

In the Constraint window, enter a constraint.
Click the Add button to add the constraint to the list.

Click the Add button to add the constraint to the list.

Continue entering other constraints.
After you have entered the final constraint, click OK to return to the main Solver Parameters window.

Excel Solver allows specifying the following relationships between the referenced cell and the constraint.

Less than or equal to , equal to , and greater than or equal to . You set these relationships by selecting a cell in the Cell Reference box, choosing one of the following signs: <= , =, or >= , and then typing a number, cell reference / cell name, or formula in the Constraint box (please see the above screenshot).
Integer . If the referenced cell must be an integer, select int , and the word integer will appear in the Constraint box.
Different values . If each cell in the referenced range must contain a different value, select dif , and the word AllDifferent will appear in the Constraint box.
Binary . If you want to limit a referenced cell either to 0 or 1, select bin , and the word binary will appear in the Constraint box.

To edit or delete an existing constraint do the following:

In the Solver Parameters dialog box, click the constraint.
To modify the selected constraint, click Change and make the changes you want.
To delete the constraint, click the Delete button.

In this example, the constraints are:

B3=40000 - cost of the new equipment is $40,000.
B4<=50 - the number of projected patients per month in under 50.

3. Solve the problem

After you've configured all the parameters, click the Solve button at the bottom of the Solver Parameters window (see the screenshot above) and let the Excel Solver add-in find the optimal solution for your problem.

Depending on the model complexity, computer memory and processor speed, it may take a few seconds, a few minutes, or even a few hours.

The Solver Result window will close and the solution will appear on the worksheet right away.

If the Excel Solver has been processing a certain problem for too long, you can interrupt the process by pressing the Esc key. Excel will recalculate the worksheet with the last values found for the Variable cells.
To get more details about the solved problem, click a report type in the Reports box, and then click OK . The report will be created on a new worksheet:

Excel Solver examples

Below you will find two more examples of using the Excel Solver addin. First, we will find a solution for a well-known puzzle, and then solve a real-life linear programming problem.

Excel Solver example 1 (magic square)

I believe everyone is familiar with "magic square" puzzles where you have to put a set of numbers in a square so that all rows, columns and diagonals add up to a certain number.

For instance, do you know a solution for the 3x3 square containing numbers from 1 to 9 where each row, column and diagonal adds up to 15?

It's probably no big deal to solve this puzzle by trial and error, but I bet the Solver will find the solution faster. Our part of the job is to properly define the problem.

With all the formulas in place, run Solver and set up the following parameters:

Set Objective . In this example, we don't need to set any objective, so leave this box empty.
Variable Cells . We want to populate numbers in cells B2 to D4, so select the range B2:D4.
$B$2:$D$4 = AllDifferent - all of the Variable cells should contain different values.
$B$2:$D$4 = integer - all of the Variable cells should be integers.
$B$5:$D$5 = 15 - the sum of values in each column should equal 15.
$E$2:$E$4 = 15 - the sum of values in each row should equal 15.
$B$7:$B$8 = 15 - the sum of both diagonals should equal 15.

Excel Solver example 2 (linear programming problem)

This is an example of a simple transportation optimization problem with a linear objective. More complex optimization models of this kind are used by many companies to save thousands of dollars each year.

Problem : You want to minimize the cost of shipping goods from 2 different warehouses to 4 different customers. Each warehouse has a limited supply and each customer has a certain demand.

Goal : Minimize the total shipping cost, not exceeding the quantity available at each warehouse, and meeting the demand of each customer.

Source data

Formulating the model

To define our linear programming problem for the Excel Solver, let's answer the 3 main questions:

What decisions are to be made? We want to calculate the optimal quantity of goods to deliver to each customer from each warehouse. These are Variable cells (B7:E8).
What are the constraints? The supplies available at each warehouse (I7:I8) cannot be exceeded, and the quantity ordered by each customer (B10:E10) should be delivered. These are Constrained cells .
What is the goal? The minimal total cost of shipping. And this is our Objective cell (C12).

Formulating the model using Excel formulas

To make our transportation optimization model easier to understand, create the following named ranges:

The last thing left for you to do is configure the Excel Solver parameters:

Objective: Shipping_cost set to Min
Variable cells: Products_shipped
Constraints: Total_received = Ordered and Total_shipped <= Available

How to save and load Excel Solver scenarios

When solving a certain model, you may want to save your Variable cell values as a scenario that you can view or re-use later.

For example, when calculating the minimal service cost in the very first example discussed in this tutorial, you may want to try different numbers of projected clients per month and see how that affects the service cost. At that, you may want to save the most probable scenario you've already calculated and restore it at any moment.

Saving an Excel Solver scenario boils down to selecting a range of cells to save the data in. Loading a Solver model is just a matter of providing Excel with the range of cells where your model is saved. The detailed steps follow below.

Saving the model

To save the Excel Solver scenario, perform the following steps:

Open the worksheet with the calculated model and run the Excel Solver.

Excel will save your current model, which may look something similar to this:

The current Excel Solver scenario is saved.

Loading the saved model

When you decide to restore the saved scenario, do the following:

In the Solver Parameters window, click the Load/Save button.

Select the range of cells containing the saved model and click Load.

This will open the main Excel Solver window with the parameters of the previously saved model. All you need to do is to click the Solve button to re-calculate it.

Excel Solver algorithms

When defining a problem for the Excel Solver, you can choose one of the following methods in the Select a Solving Method dropdown box:

GRG Nonlinear. Generalized Reduced Gradient Nonlinear algorithm is used for problems that are smooth nonlinear, i.e. in which at least one of the constraints is a smooth nonlinear function of the decision variables. More details can be found here .
LP Simplex . The Simplex LP Solving method is based the Simplex algorithm created by an American mathematical scientist George Dantzig. It is used for solving so called Linear Programming problems - mathematical models whose requirements are characterized by linear relationships, i.e. consist of a single objective represented by a linear equation that must be maximized or minimized. For more information, please check out this page .
Evolutionary . It is used for non-smooth problems, which are the most difficult type of optimization problems to solve because some of the functions are non-smooth or even discontinuous, and therefore it's difficult to determine the direction in which a function is increasing or decreasing. For more information, please see this page .

This is how you can use Solver in Excel to find the best solutions for your decision problems. At the end of this post, you can download the sample workbook with all the examples discussed in this tutorial and reverse-engineer them for better understanding. I thank you for reading and hope to see you on our blog next week.

Practice workbook for download

Problem Solving with Excel

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There are 4 modules in this course

This course explores Excel as a tool for solving business problems. In this course you will learn the basic functions of excel through guided demonstration. Each week you will build on your excel skills and be provided an opportunity to practice what you’ve learned. Finally, you will have a chance to put your knowledge to work in a final project. Please note, the content in this course was developed using a Windows version of Excel 2013.

This course was created by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP with an address at 300 Madison Avenue, New York, New York, 10017.

Overview of Excel

In this module, you will learn the basics of Excel navigation and Excel basic functionality. You will learn how to navigate the basic Excel screen including using formulas, subtotals and text formatting. We will provide you an opportunity to perform a problem solving exercise using basic Excel skills. Note: We recommend viewing videos in full-screen mode by clicking the double arrow in the lower right hand corner of your screen.

What's included

13 videos 10 readings 4 quizzes 1 discussion prompt

13 videos • Total 60 minutes

Welcome to Problem Solving with Excel • 4 minutes • Preview module
Tao of Excel • 6 minutes
Week 1 Welcome • 2 minutes
Excel Basics and Navigation Part 1 • 5 minutes
Excel Basics and Navigation Part 2 • 6 minutes
A Message from our Chief People Officer at PwC • 0 minutes
Paste Special - Part 1 • 6 minutes
Paste Special - Part 2 • 2 minutes
Cell Locking - Part 1 • 6 minutes
Cell Locking - Part 2 • 2 minutes
Named Ranges • 6 minutes
Subtotal - Part 1 • 7 minutes
Subtotal - Part 2 • 2 minutes

10 readings • Total 170 minutes

Course Overview and Syllabus • 10 minutes
Meet the PwC Content Developers • 10 minutes
Guiding Principles for Using Excel • 30 minutes
Excel Basics Workbook • 10 minutes
Excel Basics and Navigation Handout • 10 minutes
Basic Functionality Workbook • 25 minutes
Basic Functionality Handout • 10 minutes
Subtotal Excel Workbook • 25 minutes
Subtotal Handout • 10 minutes
Week 1 Project • 30 minutes

4 quizzes • Total 95 minutes

Excel Basics and Navigation Quiz • 30 minutes
Basic Functionality Quiz • 30 minutes
Subtotal Quiz • 30 minutes
Week 1 project quiz • 5 minutes

1 discussion prompt • Total 10 minutes

Meet Your Classmates • 10 minutes

vLookups and Data Cleansing

In this module you will learn about VLookup, value cleansing and text functions. We will also introduce you to PwC's perspective on the value in cleansing data and using the appropriate functions. Finally, we will provide you an opportunity to perform a problem solving exercise using VLookup, value cleansing and text function. Note: We recommend viewing videos in full-screen mode by clicking the double arrow in the lower right hand corner of your screen.

16 videos 8 readings 4 quizzes

16 videos • Total 50 minutes

Welcome to Week 2 • 1 minute • Preview module
VLookup • 6 minutes
Use VLOOKUP, data validation and multiple VLOOKUPs together • 2 minutes
HLOOKUP • 2 minutes
Nesting • 5 minutes
Data Cleansing: Values - CLEAN- 1a • 2 minutes
Data Cleansing: Values - CLEAN -1b • 2 minutes
Data Cleansing: Values - TRIM • 1 minute
Data Cleansing: Values - SUBSTITUTE -3a • 2 minutes
Data Cleansing: Values - SUBSTITUTE - 3b • 1 minute
Data Cleansing: Values - STORED AS TEXT • 2 minutes
Data Cleansing: Values - De-DUPLICATING • 1 minute
Data Cleansing: Text Functions • 4 minutes
Text - LEN & FIND • 3 minutes
Text - CONCATENATE • 3 minutes
Text - Data Validation • 5 minutes

8 readings • Total 160 minutes

VLookup Workbook • 30 minutes
VLookup Handout • 10 minutes
Data Cleansing: Values Workbook • 30 minutes
Data Cleansing: Values Handout • 10 minutes
Data Cleansing: Text Workbook • 30 minutes
Data Cleansing: Text Handout • 10 minutes
Hints for Week 2 Project • 5 minutes
Week 2 Project • 35 minutes
VLookup • 30 minutes
Data Cleansing - Values Quiz • 30 minutes
Data Cleanse - Text Quiz • 30 minutes
Week 2 Quiz • 5 minutes

Logical Functions & Pivot Tables

In this module, you will learn about logical functions and pivot tables. We will show you how to create and use pivot tables to solve business problems. We will give you an opportunity to practice creating and using a pivot table to solve a business problem. Finally, we will share some insight on PwC’s perspectives on the impact of Excel on your career and work. Note: We recommend viewing videos in full-screen mode by clicking the double arrow in the lower right hand corner of your screen.

17 videos 5 readings 3 quizzes 1 discussion prompt

17 videos • Total 68 minutes

Welcome to Week 3 • 2 minutes • Preview module
Logical Functions: Introduction • 5 minutes
Logical Functions - COUNTIFS • 7 minutes
Logical Functions - COUNTIFS Part 2 • 2 minutes
Logical Functions - SUMIFS • 3 minutes
Logical Functions - SUMIFS Part 2 • 5 minutes
Logical Functions - IF + THEN • 1 minute
Logical Functions - IF + AND • 2 minutes
Logical Functions - IF + OR • 2 minutes
Logical Functions - Nesting • 3 minutes
Bringing Value with Excel • 4 minutes
Pivot Tables • 4 minutes
Navigate a Pivot Table • 7 minutes
Sort a Pivot Table • 3 minutes
Advanced Filtering • 5 minutes
Calculated Fields • 3 minutes
Slicers • 2 minutes

5 readings • Total 80 minutes

Logical Functions Workbook • 10 minutes
Logical Functions Handout • 10 minutes
Pivot Tables Workbook • 40 minutes
Pivot Tables Handout • 10 minutes
Week 3 Project • 10 minutes

3 quizzes • Total 90 minutes

Logical Functions Quiz • 30 minutes
Pivot Tables Quiz • 30 minutes
Week 3 Project Quiz • 30 minutes
How will you bring value by using Excel? • 10 minutes

More Advanced Formulas

In this module you will learn more advanced Excel formulas. We will show you how to create statistical formulas, perform an index match, and lastly, build financial formulas. We will provide you with an opportunity to problem solve using statistical formulas. Finally, we will give you an opportunity to practice what you have learned through a final project. Note: We recommend viewing videos in full-screen mode by clicking the double arrow in the lower right hand corner of your screen.

12 videos 8 readings 4 quizzes

12 videos • Total 63 minutes

Welcome to Week 4 • 2 minutes • Preview module
Intro to Statistical Forecasting • 9 minutes
Statistical Forecasting - Part 1 • 16 minutes
Statistical Forecasting - Part 2 • 7 minutes
Index Match • 2 minutes
Index Match: MATCH Formula • 2 minutes
x and y Variables • 3 minutes
2 Variable Lookup • 6 minutes
Financial Function - NPV and IRR • 6 minutes
Financial Function - Calculating Payment Schedule • 2 minutes
Financial Function - Calculating Payment Period • 1 minute
Course Wrap-up • 2 minutes

8 readings • Total 170 minutes

Statistical Forecasting Workbook • 30 minutes
Statistical Forecasting Handout • 10 minutes
Index Match Workbook • 30 minutes
Index Match Handout • 10 minutes
Financial Function Workbook • 30 minutes
Financial Function Handout • 10 minutes
Week 4 Project • 40 minutes
Learn more about PwC and our career opportunities • 10 minutes

4 quizzes • Total 100 minutes

Statistical Forecasting Quiz • 30 minutes
Index Match Quiz • 30 minutes
Financial Functions • 30 minutes
Week 4 Project Quiz • 10 minutes

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Problem solving with excel is great with you guys. You guys took your time to break it all down which made it quite easy to understand. It was really a nice experience. Thanks.

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