Multiply two cells, a whole column by one fixed rate, or a quantity by a price and sum it in one step.
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=B2*C2Click the cell where you want the answer, type that, and press Enter. Multiplication is the asterisk, and there is no MULTIPLY function.
Multiplication is the asterisk operator: =B2*C2. PRODUCT(range) multiplies a whole range together, which is rarely what you want. SUMPRODUCT(range1, range2) multiplies the ranges row by row and totals the result, which usually is.
PRODUCT multiplies everything in a range by everything else, giving one enormous number that is almost never useful. SUMPRODUCT pairs the ranges row by row and adds the results, which is the line-total-then-sum that people actually want.
The rate reference was not locked. B1 becomes B2 on the next row and B3 after that, so the lower rows multiply by whatever happens to sit there, often a blank, giving zero. Write it as $B$1.
Multiply by the decimal or by a cell formatted as a percentage: =B2*0.18 or =B2*$B$1 where B1 shows 18 percent. Excel stores a percentage as its decimal, so the arithmetic works either way.
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