Question

what is the correct way to use the sum formula in excel to add the values in cells a1 through a5?
= total (a1:a5)
= sum (a1 + a5)
= sum (a1:a5)
= add (a1:a5)

Explanation:

In Excel, the SUM function is used to add values. The correct syntax to sum values in a range of cells (from A1 to A5 here) is =SUM(A1:A5). There is no TOTAL or ADD function in Excel for this purpose, and =SUM(A1 + A5) would just add the values in A1 and A5 instead of the whole range.

Answer:

=SUM(A1:A5)