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#1
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Customizing -2^2
Shouldn't minus a squared number be a minus number? In Excel -2^2 = 4. To
keep it negative I have to write -(2^2). It's very easy to make mistakes because I also work with Quattro Pro which works differently. Is there a way to customize this in Excel so that -2^2 = -4? Thanks. |
#2
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Customizing -2^2
In Excel the negation takes precedence over the power operator.
However, subtraction is a lower priority. 0-2^2 results in -4. Does that help? Regards, Fred. "Tim Walters" wrote in message ... Shouldn't minus a squared number be a minus number? In Excel -2^2 = 4. To keep it negative I have to write -(2^2). It's very easy to make mistakes because I also work with Quattro Pro which works differently. Is there a way to customize this in Excel so that -2^2 = -4? Thanks. |
#3
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Customizing -2^2
Excel is performing the operations using the standard precendence with mathematical operations the order is generally ^ first from left to right * and / from left to right + and - from left to right -- joel ------------------------------------------------------------------------ joel's Profile: http://www.thecodecage.com/forumz/member.php?userid=229 View this thread: http://www.thecodecage.com/forumz/sh...d.php?t=159950 Microsoft Office Help |
#4
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Customizing -2^2
"Tim Walters" wrote:
Is there a way to customize this in Excel so that -2^2 = -4? No, at least not in Excel 2003. Operator precedence is not configurable. Shouldn't minus a squared number be a minus number? Arguing about the correctness (or not) of operator precedence among computer languages is like arguing about the correctness of the order of adverbial/verb and adjective/noun among natural languages. At least one computer language eschewed operator precedence rules altogether. Whose to say that is wrong? When you learn a natural language, you learn its peculiar grammar rules as well as its vocabulary. Similarly with computer languages and applications like Excel that have a significant language for expressing things. It is fair to say that Excel's precedence order between unary negation and exponentiation is different from conventional mathematics. That is neither "right" nor "wrong". Arguably, it would be "wrong" if Excel was marketed as a language for expressing mathematics. But I do not believe MS has never made that claim. (Obviously they shouldn't.) As far as compatibility among spreadsheet products, Excel's backward-compatibility models are Multiplan, Lotus and Visicalc, probably in that order. Those were the market leaders of their day. A human user must make appropriate adjustments when moving from one product to another similar product. MS Word is very different from WordPerfect. Likewise, Excel is different from Quattro Pro, albeit perhaps not quite as dissimilar in some respects. However, a QuattroPro-to-Excel converter should handle the differences appropriately. In particular, the Quattro Pro formula -2^2 should be converted to the Excel formula -(2^2) or -POWER(2,2). If it is not, that is a defect in the converter, not a flaw in Excel operator precedence. ----- original message ----- "Tim Walters" wrote in message ... Shouldn't minus a squared number be a minus number? In Excel -2^2 = 4. To keep it negative I have to write -(2^2). It's very easy to make mistakes because I also work with Quattro Pro which works differently. Is there a way to customize this in Excel so that -2^2 = -4? Thanks. |
#5
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Customizing -2^2
Tim Walters wrote:
Shouldn't minus a squared number be a minus number? In Excel -2^2 = 4. To keep it negative I have to write -(2^2). It's very easy to make mistakes because I also work with Quattro Pro which works differently. Is there a way to customize this in Excel so that -2^2 = -4? Thanks. In Excel help, type in "order of precedence." First, Excel negates the 2. Then it squares -2. That results in +4. I can't speak for Quattro Pro, as I haven't used it for years, but always thought it was a better product than Lotus 1-2-3. Bill |
#6
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Customizing -2^2
"Joe User" <joeu2004 wrote in message ... "Tim Walters" wrote: Is there a way to customize this in Excel so that -2^2 = -4? No, at least not in Excel 2003. Operator precedence is not configurable. Shouldn't minus a squared number be a minus number? Arguing about the correctness (or not) of operator precedence among computer languages is like arguing about the correctness of the order of adverbial/verb and adjective/noun among natural languages. At least one computer language eschewed operator precedence rules altogether. Whose to say that is wrong? Surely, if Excel treats -2^2 differently from +0-2^2, one has a right to claim that it obliges one to use DIFFERENT grammars in the same language. After all, the two statements are arithmetically identical. When you learn a natural language, you learn its peculiar grammar rules as well as its vocabulary. Similarly with computer languages and applications like Excel that have a significant language for expressing things. It is fair to say that Excel's precedence order between unary negation and exponentiation is different from conventional mathematics. That is neither "right" nor "wrong". Arguably, it would be "wrong" if Excel was marketed as a language for expressing mathematics. But I do not believe MS has never made that claim. (Obviously they shouldn't.) As far as compatibility among spreadsheet products, Excel's backward-compatibility models are Multiplan, Lotus and Visicalc, probably in that order. Those were the market leaders of their day. A human user must make appropriate adjustments when moving from one product to another similar product. MS Word is very different from WordPerfect. Likewise, Excel is different from Quattro Pro, albeit perhaps not quite as dissimilar in some respects. However, a QuattroPro-to-Excel converter should handle the differences appropriately. In particular, the Quattro Pro formula -2^2 should be converted to the Excel formula -(2^2) or -POWER(2,2). If it is not, that is a defect in the converter, not a flaw in Excel operator precedence. ----- original message ----- "Tim Walters" wrote in message ... Shouldn't minus a squared number be a minus number? In Excel -2^2 = 4. To keep it negative I have to write -(2^2). It's very easy to make mistakes because I also work with Quattro Pro which works differently. Is there a way to customize this in Excel so that -2^2 = -4? Thanks. |
#7
Posted to microsoft.public.excel.misc
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Customizing -2^2
"Tim Walters" wrote:
Surely, if Excel treats -2^2 differently from +0-2^2, one has a right to claim that it obliges one to use DIFFERENT grammars in the same language. Only if you ass-u-me something about the precedence of unary negation. Excel has only one grammar. And in that grammar, unary negation has precedence over exponential. If you don't like it, don't use Excel. Do us all a favor ;-). After all, the two statements are arithmetically identical. It is fair to say that the two expressions are identical in the language of mathematics. ----- original message ----- "Tim Walters" wrote in message ... "Joe User" <joeu2004 wrote in message ... "Tim Walters" wrote: Is there a way to customize this in Excel so that -2^2 = -4? No, at least not in Excel 2003. Operator precedence is not configurable. Shouldn't minus a squared number be a minus number? Arguing about the correctness (or not) of operator precedence among computer languages is like arguing about the correctness of the order of adverbial/verb and adjective/noun among natural languages. At least one computer language eschewed operator precedence rules altogether. Whose to say that is wrong? Surely, if Excel treats -2^2 differently from +0-2^2, one has a right to claim that it obliges one to use DIFFERENT grammars in the same language. After all, the two statements are arithmetically identical. When you learn a natural language, you learn its peculiar grammar rules as well as its vocabulary. Similarly with computer languages and applications like Excel that have a significant language for expressing things. It is fair to say that Excel's precedence order between unary negation and exponentiation is different from conventional mathematics. That is neither "right" nor "wrong". Arguably, it would be "wrong" if Excel was marketed as a language for expressing mathematics. But I do not believe MS has never made that claim. (Obviously they shouldn't.) As far as compatibility among spreadsheet products, Excel's backward-compatibility models are Multiplan, Lotus and Visicalc, probably in that order. Those were the market leaders of their day. A human user must make appropriate adjustments when moving from one product to another similar product. MS Word is very different from WordPerfect. Likewise, Excel is different from Quattro Pro, albeit perhaps not quite as dissimilar in some respects. However, a QuattroPro-to-Excel converter should handle the differences appropriately. In particular, the Quattro Pro formula -2^2 should be converted to the Excel formula -(2^2) or -POWER(2,2). If it is not, that is a defect in the converter, not a flaw in Excel operator precedence. ----- original message ----- "Tim Walters" wrote in message ... Shouldn't minus a squared number be a minus number? In Excel -2^2 = 4. To keep it negative I have to write -(2^2). It's very easy to make mistakes because I also work with Quattro Pro which works differently. Is there a way to customize this in Excel so that -2^2 = -4? Thanks. |
#8
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Customizing -2^2
PS....
"Tim Walters" wrote: Excel treats -2^2 differently from +0-2^2 [.... But] the two statements are arithmetically identical FYI, I notice that the equivalent of -2^2 and 0-2^2 have different results using the MS Calculator that comes with(?) Win XP, if you perform the operations left-to-right as you read them. My point is not to justify Excel's choice of precedence rules, but instead to debunk your assertion that there is some God-given rule that the two expressions are "arithmetically identical". I reiterate.... They are identical in the language of mathematics. Whether or not they are identical in another language is the prerogative of the language designer to decide. ----- original message ----- "Joe User" <joeu2004 wrote in message ... "Tim Walters" wrote: Surely, if Excel treats -2^2 differently from +0-2^2, one has a right to claim that it obliges one to use DIFFERENT grammars in the same language. Only if you ass-u-me something about the precedence of unary negation. Excel has only one grammar. And in that grammar, unary negation has precedence over exponential. If you don't like it, don't use Excel. Do us all a favor ;-). After all, the two statements are arithmetically identical. It is fair to say that the two expressions are identical in the language of mathematics. ----- original message ----- "Tim Walters" wrote in message ... "Joe User" <joeu2004 wrote in message ... "Tim Walters" wrote: Is there a way to customize this in Excel so that -2^2 = -4? No, at least not in Excel 2003. Operator precedence is not configurable. Shouldn't minus a squared number be a minus number? Arguing about the correctness (or not) of operator precedence among computer languages is like arguing about the correctness of the order of adverbial/verb and adjective/noun among natural languages. At least one computer language eschewed operator precedence rules altogether. Whose to say that is wrong? Surely, if Excel treats -2^2 differently from +0-2^2, one has a right to claim that it obliges one to use DIFFERENT grammars in the same language. After all, the two statements are arithmetically identical. When you learn a natural language, you learn its peculiar grammar rules as well as its vocabulary. Similarly with computer languages and applications like Excel that have a significant language for expressing things. It is fair to say that Excel's precedence order between unary negation and exponentiation is different from conventional mathematics. That is neither "right" nor "wrong". Arguably, it would be "wrong" if Excel was marketed as a language for expressing mathematics. But I do not believe MS has never made that claim. (Obviously they shouldn't.) As far as compatibility among spreadsheet products, Excel's backward-compatibility models are Multiplan, Lotus and Visicalc, probably in that order. Those were the market leaders of their day. A human user must make appropriate adjustments when moving from one product to another similar product. MS Word is very different from WordPerfect. Likewise, Excel is different from Quattro Pro, albeit perhaps not quite as dissimilar in some respects. However, a QuattroPro-to-Excel converter should handle the differences appropriately. In particular, the Quattro Pro formula -2^2 should be converted to the Excel formula -(2^2) or -POWER(2,2). If it is not, that is a defect in the converter, not a flaw in Excel operator precedence. ----- original message ----- "Tim Walters" wrote in message ... Shouldn't minus a squared number be a minus number? In Excel -2^2 = 4. To keep it negative I have to write -(2^2). It's very easy to make mistakes because I also work with Quattro Pro which works differently. Is there a way to customize this in Excel so that -2^2 = -4? Thanks. |
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