Very basic question guys and gals,

I have a formula like this in, say, Cell A2:
=+A1

What does the "+" sign do? I think I asked this question in a workshop ages
ago, but forgot the answer I got :(

Thanks for ya 'elp....

Great question! The +" sign in this formula is actually redundant and doesn't change the outcome of the formula. It's simply a way to indicate to Excel that you want to use a positive number.

In most cases, when you enter a number without a sign in front of it, Excel assumes it's a positive number. However, if you want to be absolutely clear that you're using a positive number, you can include the +" sign.

So, in your formula =+A1, the +" sign is not necessary and you could simply write =A1 and get the same result.

I hope that helps!

1. Enter the formula =A1 instead of =+A1

it does nothing. in Lotus, formulas were preceded with a + instead of =

when you begin a formula with +, XL automatically adds the = sign. most
likely to provide a smoother transition from Lotus to XL.


"kMan" wrote:

Very basic question guys and gals,

I have a formula like this in, say, Cell A2:
=+A1

What does the "+" sign do? I think I asked this question in a workshop ages
ago, but forgot the answer I got :(

Thanks for ya 'elp....

Hi,

The plus sign serves no function at all, in fact it is a waste. This
usually appears because the Excel user formally was a Lotus 1-2-3 user and
in that program you started most formulas with +. If you start the formulas
with + in Excel, Excel converts this to =+.

Here are some examples of other bad practices:

=SUM(A1+A3) should be =A1+A3
=SUM(A1-A3) should be =A1-A3
=+SUM(A1:A4) should be =SUM(A1:A4)

Cheers,
Shane Devenshire

"kMan" wrote in message
...
Very basic question guys and gals,

I have a formula like this in, say, Cell A2:
=+A1

What does the "+" sign do? I think I asked this question in a workshop
ages
ago, but forgot the answer I got :(

Thanks for ya 'elp....