To determine what an accountant would type into the formula bar of a spreadsheet to add the values in cells [tex]\( \text{A3}, \text{A4}, \text{A5}, \text{and} \text{A6} \)[/tex], and place the result in the active cell, let's go through each of the options:
Option A: [tex]\( A3 + A4 + A5 + A6 = \)[/tex]
This option starts with the cell references followed by an equals sign at the end. In spreadsheet software, such as Excel, formulas must begin with an equals sign (`=`). Therefore, this option is not correct because the equals sign is not in the right place.
Option B: [tex]\( A3 + A4 + A5 + A6 \)[/tex]
This option lists the cell references for addition but does not start with an equals sign. As mentioned before, formulas must begin with an equals sign in spreadsheet software. So, this option is also incorrect.
Option C: [tex]\( =A3 + A4 + A5 + A6 \)[/tex]
This option starts with an equals sign and then lists the cell references appropriately. In spreadsheet software, this is the correct way to write a formula to add the values from these cells. It follows the correct syntax required for the formula.
Option D: [tex]\( =A3 + A4 + A5 + A6 = \)[/tex]
This option correctly starts with an equals sign but ends with an additional equals sign, which is unnecessary and incorrect in spreadsheet formulas. Thus, this option is not correct either.
Given the consideration of standard spreadsheet syntax, the correct way for an accountant to type the formula into the formula bar would be:
[tex]\( =A3 + A4 + A5 + A6 \)[/tex]
Therefore, the correct answer is:
C. [tex]\( =A3 + A4 + A5 + A6 \)[/tex]
