Forum Discussion
Squaring with preceding minus
Hello together! When I put "=-5^2" in a cell, it gives me 25 as a result. Am I doing something wrong? Is that a joke? Is that the standard Excel behaviour?
Normally, =-5^2 gives -25 and =(-5)^2 gives 25.
If both give 25, it may be a locale issue, calculation mode, or Excel glitch.
(Go to Formulas → Calculation Options → Automatic).
Use =POWER(-5, 2) or =(-5)*(-5) as a workaround.
Hope this information can help you a little with your plans...if not, please just ignore it.
NikolinoDE , normally =-5^2 gives 25