The Hermit Hermit's Free Library  Brain Teasers

One in a series of exercises that demonstrate how to accomplish real-world computing tasks using time- and work-saving techniques.

Brain Teaser #10: Create a Spreadsheet in Notepad

Task

You and a friend are hanging out at an Internet cafe one afternoon. The two of you are talking about cool computer stuff and your friend tells you he knows a way that he can create a spreadsheet, complete with data and formulas, using Notepad.

You say 'no way', but he insists he can. He jots a few lines down on a piece of scrap paper and shows it to you. Here's what he wrote:
 
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=sum(a1:a3),Sum
=min(a1:a3),Minimum
=max(a1:a3),Maximum
 

Are you convinced?