The Excel SERIESSUM Function

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Basic Description

The Excel SERIESSUM function returns the sum of a power series, based on the following power series expansion:

The syntax of the function is :

SERIESSUM( x, n, m, coefficients )

Where the function arguments are:

x	-	The input value to the power series
n	-	The initial power, to which x is to be raised
m	-	The step size that n is increased by, on each successive power of x
coefficients	-	An array of coefficients that multiply each successive power of x

The number of values in the supplied coefficients array defines the number of terms in the power series. This is illustrated in the following example.

Excel Seriessum Function Example 1

In the example below, the Excel Seriessum function is used to calculate the power series:

5¹ + 5² + 5³ + 5⁴ + 5⁵

The formula is shown in the spreadsheet on the left and the result is shown in the spreadsheet on the right.

Formula:

	A
1	=SERIESSUM( 5, 1, 1, {1,1,1,1,1} )

Result:

	A
1	3905

Excel Seriessum Function Example 2

In the example below, the Excel Seriessum function calculates the power series:

1 * 2¹ + 2 * 2³ + 3 * 2⁵ + 4 * 2⁷ + 5 * 2⁹

Again, the formula is shown in the spreadsheet on the left and the result is shown in the spreadsheet on the right.

Formula:

	A
1	=SERIESSUM( 2, 1, 2, {1,2,3,4,5} )

Result:

	A
1	3186

More details and examples of the Excel Seriessum function are provided on the Microsoft Office website.

Seriessum Function Errors

If you get an error from the Excel Seriessum Function, this is likely to be one of the following:

Common Errors

#VALUE!

Occurs if any of the supplied arguments are non-numeric

#NAME?

Occurs when Analysis ToolPak add-in is not enabled in your Excel.
You will need to enable the add-in if you want to use the Excel Seriessum function.

To do this in Excel 2003 :

From the Tools drop-down menu, select the option Add-Ins ...
An 'Add-Ins' window will pop up. From this, select the option Analysis ToolPak and click OK

To do this in Excel 2007 or Excel 2010 :

Click the Microsoft button on the top left of your spreadsheet and select the Excel Options button
From the menu on the left hand side, select Add-Ins
In the 'Manage:' box, select Excel Add-ins and click Go...
An 'Add-Ins' window will pop up. From this, select the option Analysis ToolPak and click OK

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