Formulas

[Guest]

I enter =SUM(C11+C21) C11 is 10000 and C21 is (9000)
My formula result is 0. What gives?

 

[Gord Dibben]

Possibley those numbers are actually rext.

Format them as General then copy an empty cell.

Select the cells with "numbers" and Edit>Paste Special>Add>OK>Esc


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

 

[Guest]

Normally you wouldn't use SUM(C11+C21), either

=SUM(C11,C21)

or just

C11+C21

but that doesn't explain your problem.....what happens if you press F9, how
is the result cell formatted?

 

[Guest]

I tried this but I didn't understand the "Select the cells with "numbers" and
Edit>Paste Special>Add>OK>Esc"
I tried F9 and it did nothing. I cleared contents. Copied an adjacent cell
with the same fomula and pasted but it changed to the correct column formula
but with the same total from the adjacent column.

 

[Gord Dibben]

Your numbers in C11 and C21 look like numbers but are probably text.

That's why you get the zero.

Try again..............format all to General.

Copy a blank cell.

Select the range with the "look like" numbers and in place Edit>Paste
Special>Add>OK>Esc.

Adding the blank cell you copied will force Excel to treat them as real numbers.


Gord