Excel 2007 : 3 + 7 x 2 = 17 !!??

[Geoff_S]

what on earth is going on with my Excel?

A1 = 3
B1 =7

formula in C1
=SUM(A1+B1*2)
the result is =17 !

if I enter the formula in C1
=sum(A1+B1/2)
the result is 6.5 !

what on earth is going on here??

[tigeravatar]

Geoff_S,

Its basic Order of Operations. Multiplication and division always happens before addition/subtraction.

So:
3+7*2 = 3+14 = 17

If you want the addition to happen first, you need to use parentheses () to indicate that the 3+7 happens independently of the multiplication:
(3+7)*2 = 10*2 = 20

[Geoff_S]

tigeravatar ...
fantastic information.

Thank you VERY much indeed!!
Geoff_S