"ernie" wrote:
A1 get its value from B1. B1=2.7169. when i format A1
to 2 decimal places it show 2.72. now if i multiply A1 by
3 in another cell, instead of showing 8.16 (2.72*3), it
shows 8.15 (2.7169*3). i need the cells to calculate
based on whats in it. how to i get it to calculate with
2.72 instead of 2.7169???

Two ways ....

Perhaps the easiest is to selected Tools Options
Calculations "Precision as displayed". But I would not
do that myself because of unexpected consequences.
Sometimes, you want the hidden extra precision to work
for you.

The alternative is to use the ROUND(), ROUNDUP() and
ROUNDDOWN() functions where you want them. For
example, change the formula in A1 to ROUND(B1,2).