Excel

[Badger_1168]

Good day to all,

I am relatively new to Excel and only know the basics. My problem is finding the correct formula for minus inputs in calculations. I would like to understand how, after a lot of inputs, the end result has taken the minus numbers into account. 

[#2]

Hi @Badger_1168 

Excel is doing the operation according to the following order.

=5+3*2  the result is 11, excel will start doing 3*2  then adding the result to 5 

if you want first to do the adding operation you have put them inside ( )

= (5+3)*2  the result is 16   

The order of operations for Excel is as follows:

• Evaluate items in parentheses.

• Evaluate ranges (:).

• Evaluate intersections (spaces).

• Evaluate unions (,).

• Perform negation (-).

• Convert percentages (%).

• Perform exponentiation (^).

  Perform multiplication (*) and division (/), which are of equal precedence.

• Perform addition (+) and subtraction (-), which are of equal precedence.

• Evaluate text operators (&).

• Perform comparisons (=, <>, <=, >=).

[#3]

@Badger_1168 

These links might provide more use and explanation:

Subtract Numbers 

Basic Math in Excel 

Formulas and Functions

[#4]

@Badger_1168 

The key point here is not to mix negation and subtraction, unfortunately Excel uses same "minus" sign for both. Negation change the sign and has highest priority, subtraction is used to subtract one value from another and has relatively low priority.

Thus =-3^2 returns 9 (plus nine, not minus nine). Here is negation, it has high priority and applied first, after that result is powered. Other words =-3^2 =>   =(-3)^2   => 9

Formula like =------3^2 also works and also returns plus 9 (all negations are applied first), as well as =0+-3^2

But both =0-3^2 and =0-(-3^2) return minus 9