Excel OfficeExcel Tutorials for beginners, Intermediates and experts.
To quickly fill a range of cells with random numbers from a set of fixed options (i.e. 25,50,75,100), you can use a formula based on the CHOOSE and RANDBETWEEN functions. Formula =CHOOSE(RANDBETWEEN(1,4),num1,num2,num3,num4) Explanation In the example shown, the formula in B4 is: =CHOOSE(RANDBETWEEN(1,4),25,50,75,100) Which returns a random number from the numbers provided. How this formula… read more »
To generate random integers between two numbers, you can use the RANDBETWEEN function. Formula =RANDBETWEEN(lower,upper) Explanation In the example shown, the formula in B5 is: =RANDBETWEEN(1,100) This formula is then copied down from B5 to B11. The result is random numbers between 1-100. Note that the RANDBETWEEN function will generate new numbers whenever a change… read more »
To quickly fill a range of cells with random text values, you can use a formula based on the CHOOSE and RANDBETWEEN functions. Formula =CHOOSE(RANDBETWEEN(1,3),”Value1″,”Value2″,”Value3″) Note that RANDBETWEEN will calculate a new value whenever the worksheet is changed. Once you have values in the range, you may want to replace the formulas with values to… read more »
To randomly people (or anything) to groups you can use the RANDBETWEEN function with the CHOOSE function. Formula =CHOOSE(RANDBETWEEN(1,3),”Group A”,”Group B”,”Group B”) Explanation In the example shown, the formula in F3 is: =CHOOSE(RANDBETWEEN(1,3),”A”,”B”,”C”) When copied down the column, this formula will generate a random group (A, B, or C) for each person in the list…. read more »
To get a random value from a table or list in Excel, you can use the INDEX function with help from the RANDBETWEEN and ROWS functions. Formula =INDEX(data,RANDBETWEEN(1,ROWS(data)),1) Note: this formula uses the named range “data” (B5:E104) for readability and convenience. If you don’t want to use a named range, substitute $B$5:$E$104 instead. Explanation In… read more »
To generate random dates between two dates, you can use the RANDBETWEEN function, together with the DATE function. See example below: Formula =RANDBETWEEN(date1,date2) Explanation In the example shown, the formula in B5 is: =RANDBETWEEN(DATE(2016,1,1),DATE(2016,12,31)) This formula is then copied down from B5 to B11. The result is random dates between Jan 1, 2016 and Dec… read more »
This example teaches you how to simulate the roll of two dice in Excel. Note: the instructions below do not teach you how to format the worksheet. We assume that you know how to change font sizes, font styles, insert rows and columns, add borders, change background colors, etc. 1. At the moment, each cell contains… read more »
Excel has two useful functions when it comes to generating random numbers. The RAND and RANDBETWEEN function. Rand The RAND function generates a random decimal number between 0 and 1. 1. Select cell A1. 2. Type RAND() and press Enter. The RAND function has no arguments. 3. To generate a list of random numbers, select cell A1, click on… read more »