What does the SUM formula do in a spreadsheet?

The SUM formula in a spreadsheet is specifically designed to aggregate or total values by adding them together. When you use the SUM function, you select a range of cells that contain numerical values, and the formula computes the total of those values, providing a straightforward way to calculate sums without manually adding each number. This is particularly useful in financial reports, data analysis, and any situation where quick calculations are necessary.

In contrast, options that suggest subtraction, multiplication, or averaging do not accurately describe the function of SUM. While subtraction, multiplication and finding the average are common operations performed in spreadsheets, they are handled by different functions, such as the SUBTRACT function (although not explicitly named that way in most spreadsheets), the PRODUCT function for multiplication, and the AVERAGE function for calculating means. Each of these serves different purposes and is used depending on the specific calculation needed.