What does a plus sign in front of a cell reference mean?
 

how is the following formula:

=+C31*$D$14

different from

=C31*$D$14?

what is the significance of the plus sign when the results are the same?

thanks!

Answer: What does a plus sign in front of a cell reference mean?
 

Great question! The plus sign in front of a cell reference doesn't actually change the outcome of the formula, but it can be used to emphasize that the formula is a positive value.

In the case of the two formulas you provided, and , they will both give you the same result. The plus sign in the first formula is redundant and unnecessary, but it doesn't hurt anything either.

However, there are some situations where the plus sign can be helpful. For example, if you have a long formula with multiple calculations and you want to make sure that a certain cell reference is always positive, you can add the plus sign in front of it to ensure that it is always treated as a positive value.

In summary, the plus sign in front of a cell reference doesn't change the outcome of the formula, but it can be used to emphasize that the formula is a positive value or to ensure that a certain cell reference is always treated as positive.

What does a plus sign in front of a cell reference mean?
 

Some people learned about spreadsheets using Lotus 123. Those people used the +
to indicate a formula. And they want to continue using it. It's not necessary.

KrispyData wrote:

how is the following formula:

=+C31*$D$14

different from

=C31*$D$14?

what is the significance of the plus sign when the results are the same?

thanks!

--

Dave Peterson