In an Excel complex formula addition and subtraction operators are calculated before multiplication and division operators?

Answer 1

Excel follows the laws of Mathematics. They state that multiplications and divisions are done before and additions and subtractions. Have a look at the following formula.

=10+2*5

Most people will tell you that the result of that is 60. They look at it as being 10 plus 2, which is 12, multiplied by 5, which is 60. They are wrong. The actual correct answer is 20. That is because the multiplication is done first. So the multiplication is done first. 2 *5 is 10, plus 10 is 20. It is 10, plus two fives.

The rules are known as the precedence of operators. A simple acronym used to remember them is BOMDAS. That is Brackets, power Of, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subltraction.

Anything inside brackets is always done first. So to have the additions or subtractions done before multiplications and divisions, then you enclose the additions and subtractions in brackets. To get the original calculation to give us 60, you would type it as follows:

=(10+2)*5

Now the 10 and 2 will be added first and then the result will be multiplied by 5, so you will get 60.

Multiplication and division are always done on a left to right basis having equal precedence.

So in this case, the multiplication is done first:

=10*2/5

In this case the division is done first:

=10/2*5

Addition and subtraction work the same way. The addition will be done first here:

=10+2-5

Here the subtraction will be done first:

=10-2+5

Where you have a mix of brackets and things outside of them, everything inside the brackets is done before anything outside, but inside the brackets, the rules of precedence apply. So in the following one, the 2*5 will happen first. The the 10 will be added to that. Then the 8 will be subtracted from the result. Then the 3 will be divided by the 6 and the last thing that happens will be the result of the calculation inside the brackets will be added to the result of 3 divided by 6.

It is a bit complicated at first. Play around with different examples and you will soon get the hang of it.

=(10+2*5-8)+3/6