Which of the following MS Excel formulae are equivalent to each other?

1.=A3+A4+A5+A6

2.=SUM(A3:A6)

3.=SUM(A4,A6)

4.=SUM(A3,A4,A5,A6)

A1, 2 & 3 only

B1, 2 & 4 only ✓ Correct

C2 & 4 only

D3 & 4 only

Correct answer: (B) 1, 2 & 4 only

Explanation

Adding A3+A4+A5+A6 directly gives the same total as summing the whole range.

=SUM(A3:A6) adds every cell from A3 to A6, matching that explicit addition.

=SUM(A3,A4,A5,A6) lists the same four cells as separate arguments, so it is identical too.

=SUM(A4,A6) adds only two cells, A4 and A6, leaving out A3 and A5.

Because that shorter form skips two cells, its result differs from the others.

A colon in a range means through, while a comma separates individual cell arguments.

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