View Single Post
  #2   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.excel.misc,microsoft.public.excel
Barb Reinhardt Barb Reinhardt is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,355
Default Mathematical puzzle (for all you Excel experts)


=if(a1<0,(abs(A1) + B1)*(-1),A1 + B1)
--
HTH,
Barb Reinhardt



"ship" wrote:

Hi

I have a mathematical puzzle that I cant solve.

In the table below, the inputs are the values in columns "A" and "B
and the desired output is column "C".

A B C

-3 -3 0
-3 +3 -6
+3 -3 0
+3 +3 +6
0 0 0


What on earth is the formula in Microsoft Excel that creates "C"?

With thanks


Ship
Shiperton Henethe

Clue:
If you strip the sign off "A" and then add "A" and "B" together
and then apply the sign afterwards, you get the correct
answer. But how the heck do you do this in msExcel ?
And/or isnt there a better way of doing the mathematics ? (!)