For example, an address such as 17 Maple Avenue is considered a text entry even though it begins with a number. You can also type a period to indicate a decimal point and enter decimals. A cell must be formatted for decimal places to display a number with a decimal ending in zero.
Numbers can exist as independent values, or they can be used in formulas to calculate other values.
You can type dates into a worksheet. Excel treats dates as numbers so that it can perform calculations, such as determining how many days a bill is past due. When you enter date text into a cell, Excel formats the entry as a date and stores it as a serial number that represents that date on the calendar. Practice the Skill 1. Move to the cell into which you want to enter a number.