Formula

For other senses of this word, see formula (disambiguation).

In mathematics and in the sciences, a formula (plural: formulae, formulæ or formulas) is a concise way of expressing information symbolically (as in a mathematical or chemical formula), or a general relationship between quantities. One of many famous formulae is Albert Einstein's E=mc² (see special relativity).

In general mathematical use there is no essential difference in meaning with the term "expression", although the word "formula" tends to be reserved for an expression that "can stand on its own", that has a meaning outside of the immediate context in which it appears and a significance that can be grasped intuitively.

In Computing, a formula typically describes a calculation, such as addition, to be performed on two or more variables. A formula is often implicitly provided in the form of a computer instruction such as

Total fruit = number of Apples + number of Oranges.

In computer spreadsheet terminology, a formula is usually a text string of the form

=A1 + A2  where both A1 and A2 describe "cells" (column A, row 1 or 2) within the spreadsheet.

The result appears within the cell containing the formula itself (possibly A3, at end of values in column A).

Formula

See also