[h=2]Complex Formulas
[h=3]Complex Formulas
Simple formulas have one mathematical operation. Complex formulas involve more than one mathematical operation.
The order of mathematical operations is very important. If you enter a formula that
contains several operations, like adding, subtracting and dividing, Excel knows to
work those operations in a specific order. The order of operations is
Operations enclosed in parenthesis
Exponential calculations (to the power of)
Multiplication and division, whichever comes first
Addition and subtraction, whichever comes first
Relative to the order, you will also calculate from left to right. Let's look at an example.
2*(6-4) =?
Is the answer 8 or 4? If you calculated in the order in which the numbers
appear, ignoring the parentheses, 2*6-4, you'd get the wrong
answer, 8. You must follow the order of operations to get the correct answer
[h=3]Complex Formulas
Simple formulas have one mathematical operation. Complex formulas involve more than one mathematical operation.
The order of mathematical operations is very important. If you enter a formula that
contains several operations, like adding, subtracting and dividing, Excel knows to
work those operations in a specific order. The order of operations is
Operations enclosed in parenthesis
Exponential calculations (to the power of)
Multiplication and division, whichever comes first
Addition and subtraction, whichever comes first
Relative to the order, you will also calculate from left to right. Let's look at an example.
2*(6-4) =?
Is the answer 8 or 4? If you calculated in the order in which the numbers
appear, ignoring the parentheses, 2*6-4, you'd get the wrong
answer, 8. You must follow the order of operations to get the correct answer