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

  1. #1
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    3 + 7 x 2 = 17 !!??

    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??

  2. #2
    Forum Expert tigeravatar's Avatar
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    Re: 3 + 7 x 2 = 17 !!??

    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
    Hope that helps,
    ~tigeravatar

    Forum Rules: How to use code tags, mark a thread solved, and keep yourself out of trouble

  3. #3
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    Re: 3 + 7 x 2 = 17 !!??

    tigeravatar ...
    fantastic information.

    Thank you VERY much indeed!!
    Geoff_S

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