Final answer:
The correct formula to sum up the numbers 20, 150, and 85 in Excel is 1) =SUM(20, 150, 85), which yields the correct total of 255.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question deals with finding the correct sum of numbers in Excel using different syntax in formulas. The correct answer to the question is formula 1) =SUM(20, 150, 85). This is because with the SUM function, Excel expects individual numbers, cell references, or ranges to be separated by commas. The SUM function will then add up all of the values provided within the parentheses.
Option 2) is incorrect because you do not place the addition operators within the SUM function. Option 3) has a correct usage of the SUM function but includes an unnecessary addition operator. Option 4) is not correct because it computes the sum of the first two values using the SUM function and then adds the third value outside the function, which is not the most straightforward way to use the SUM function for adding multiple numbers.
When we use the correct SUM function formula, the result for the sum of the numbers 20, 150, and 85 is 255, which is the total of those three numbers added together.