Which function would you use to count the number of cells that meet a certain condition?

The function to use for counting the number of cells that meet a certain condition is COUNTIF. This function takes two arguments: the range of cells you want to evaluate and the condition that you want to apply. It effectively counts only those cells within the specified range that satisfy the condition, allowing users to quickly determine how many entries meet their criteria without needing to manually inspect each cell.

For example, if you're tracking the number of sales above a certain threshold in a range of sales figures, COUNTIF would allow you to get that specific count in a straightforward manner. This capability is especially useful in data analysis when making decisions based on the frequency of certain outcomes.

Other functions like SUMIF, AVERAGEIF, and MAXIF serve different purposes: SUMIF adds up cells based on a condition, AVERAGEIF calculates the average of cells that meet certain criteria, and MAXIF would theoretically return the maximum value based on a condition (though note that MAXIF is not a standard Excel function). Each of these functions is useful in its own right, but they do not specifically focus on counting instances that meet a condition as COUNTIF does.