Negative figures in brackets

[Guest]

Hello,

I'm hoping this should be easily fixed? Basically I just need to know how
(if?) you can get negative numbers to appear in brackets, rather than having
a minus '-' sign in front of the figure.

Thanks

 

[Bob Phillips]

Use a format (menu Format>Cells>Custom) of

#,##0;(#,##0)

--
HTH

Bob Phillips

(replace somewhere in email address with gmail if mailing direct)

 

[Dave Peterson]

If you just want that format (with the ()'s) to show up in the samples in
format|Cells|Number tab...

Excel picks this up from a windows setting:

Windows start button|control panel
regional and language options
regional options tab
click the customize button
currency tab
change the negative currency format to show ()'s.

 

[Paul D. Simon]

And just so there's no confusion for others reading this thread, I
assume you meant to say "parentheses", not "brackets", correct?

These are parentheses ( )
These are brackets [ ]
These are braces { }

 

[James Silverton]

Hello, Paul!
You wrote on 26 Oct 2006 05:06:21 -0700:

PDS> And just so there's no confusion for others reading this
PDS> thread, I assume you meant to say "parentheses", not
PDS> "brackets", correct?

PDS> These are parentheses ( )
PDS> These are brackets [ ]
PDS> These are braces { }

That certainly is common usage but is by no means universal and
accepted! People even use other things as brackets. The theorist
Paul Dirac had a rather useful notation in quantum mechanics
called the braket notation; < was a "bra" and > a "ket".

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not

 

[Paul D. Simon]

Hi James,

Yes, now that you mention it, I have seen people refer to the greater
than and less than symbols as brackets, too (and come to think of it,
commonly so).

I've also seen people refer to braces - { } - as "curly" braces
(are there "non-curly" braces lurking around somewhere?) If we're to
call them "curly" braces, then why not "curved" parentheses and
"squared" brackets?

But then, how many times do we see people on this group erroneously
refer to VBA as just VB? (VB is one thing; VBA is something else).
(Drives me crazy!)

Anyway...

So now, if I'm getting this correctly, parentheses can be referred to
as brackets, and the greater than and less than symbols can be referred
to as brackets. So, just out of curiosity, what do people refer to
these as?: [ ]

Paul

 

[James Silverton]

Hello, Paul!
You wrote on 26 Oct 2006 07:28:28 -0700:

PDS> So now, if I'm getting this correctly, parentheses can be
PDS> referred to as brackets, and the greater than and less
PDS> than symbols can be referred to as brackets. So, just out
PDS> of curiosity, what do people refer to these as?: [ ]

Square brackets!


James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not

 

[James Silverton]

Hello, James!
You wrote to Paul D. Simon on Thu, 26 Oct 2006 10:51:23 -0400:

PDS>> So now, if I'm getting this correctly, parentheses can be
PDS>> referred to as brackets, and the greater than and less
PDS>> than symbols can be referred to as brackets. So, just out
PDS>> of curiosity, what do people refer to these as?: [ ]

JS> Square brackets!

JS> James Silverton
JS> Potomac, Maryland

Possibly, I should add that I am not trying to start a fight and
usually use the names you gave I have been known to make
mistakes and simply call [ ] "brackets" without a qualifier!

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not

 

[Paul D. Simon]

No problem, Jim - fun conferring with you on this.

Come to think of it, we could also call these - [ ] - "squared"
BRACES, thus giving some purpose to those who see a need to refer to
these - { } - as "curly" braces (or would they actually be "curly"
brackets?).

In fact, to help justify those who insist on calling parentheses
"brackets", we could indeed refer to these - ( ) - as "curved"
brackets (or, would they in fact be "curved" braces?)

It's okay, though - I once referred to my niece's husband, Craig, as
"Greg" (who, by the way, wears braces!).

Anyway, Jim, I think that between the 2 of us, we've now completely
eliminated any and all confusion on the part of anyone reading this who
isn't exactly sure of the correct identification of the symbols on
their keyboard.

But while I'm at it, this - " - is NOT double quotes, okay? It's a
quotation mark. If anything, it's a "single" quote. THESE - " " -
are "double" quotes , okay? And lastly, this - ' - is NOT a
"single" quote; it's an apostrophe!!

Oh, and one very last thing: This - # - is called the "number
sign" - I'd love to get my hands on the person who renamed it the
"pound" sign - where did he/she come up with that?? THIS - £ - is
the pound sign, okay!?

(Phew! Now I feel much better.)

Take care,
Paul

 

[SteveW]

No problem, Jim - fun conferring with you on this.

Come to think of it, we could also call these - [ ] - "squared"
BRACES, thus giving some purpose to those who see a need to refer to
these - { } - as "curly" braces (or would they actually be "curly"
brackets?).

In fact, to help justify those who insist on calling parentheses
"brackets", we could indeed refer to these - ( ) - as "curved"
brackets (or, would they in fact be "curved" braces?)

It's okay, though - I once referred to my niece's husband, Craig, as
"Greg" (who, by the way, wears braces!).

Anyway, Jim, I think that between the 2 of us, we've now completely
eliminated any and all confusion on the part of anyone reading this who
isn't exactly sure of the correct identification of the symbols on
their keyboard.

But while I'm at it, this - " - is NOT double quotes, okay? It's a
quotation mark. If anything, it's a "single" quote. THESE - " " -
are "double" quotes , okay? And lastly, this - ' - is NOT a
"single" quote; it's an apostrophe!!

Oh, and one very last thing: This - # - is called the "number
sign" - I'd love to get my hands on the person who renamed it the
"pound" sign - where did he/she come up with that?? THIS - £ - is
the pound sign, okay!?

(Phew! Now I feel much better.)

Take care,
Paul

There is quite a long and odd story behind the # being called pound
the # is a modern character based on the the old printing character for lb
with a cross line through the l.
The lb being pound weight

"Its traditional commercial use in the U.S. was such that when it
followed a number, it was to be read as "pounds", as in 5# of sugar,
and when it preceded a number, it was to be read as 'number',
as in #2 pencil."

 

[Dallman Ross]

In <[email protected]>, Paul
D. Simon <[email protected]> spake thusly:

Your syntax insistencies are not altogether correct, I'm afraid.

No problem, Jim - fun conferring with you on this.

Come to think of it, we could also call these - [ ] - "squared"
BRACES, thus giving some purpose to those who see a need to refer to
these - { } - as "curly" braces (or would they actually be "curly"
brackets?).

They are commonly (correctly) referred to as just "braces," though
"curly brackets" is also commonly seen and not incorrect. But
"curly braces" is wrong. The Brits seem to prefer "curly brackets,"
the Americans, just "braces." (Also, I'm using the American
convention of including commas or periods inside my quotation marks.)

http://www.answers.com/topic/bracket-5

Be sure to read the various Usage Notes. The remarks on _curly
brackets_ is halfway down the page.

But while I'm at it, this - " - is NOT double quotes, okay? It's a
quotation mark. If anything, it's a "single" quote. THESE - " " -
are "double" quotes , okay? And lastly, this - ' - is NOT a
"single" quote; it's an apostrophe!!

Here, you're way wrong. See, e.g., the _American Heritage Dictionary_.
http://www.answers.com/topic/quotation-mark

Oh, and one very last thing: This - # - is called the "number
sign" - I'd love to get my hands on the person who renamed it the
"pound" sign - where did he/she come up with that?? THIS - £ - is
the pound sign, okay!?

It's technically called the "octothorpe," though "number sign" will
also do and is not incorrect.

http://www.answers.com/topic/octothorpe

(Phew! Now I feel much better.)

(Me, too.)

-dman-

 

[Bob Phillips]

No problem, Jim - fun conferring with you on this.

Anyway, Jim, I think that between the 2 of us, we've now completely
eliminated any and all confusion on the part of anyone reading this who
isn't exactly sure of the correct identification of the symbols on
their keyboard.

No, you have just added confusion to people raed this thread and who weren't
confused originally.

But while I'm at it, this - " - is NOT double quotes, okay? It's a
quotation mark. If anything, it's a "single" quote. THESE - " " -
are "double" quotes , okay? And lastly, this - ' - is NOT a
"single" quote; it's an apostrophe!!

It's not single or double anything, it is qutation mark, or just quotes.

Oh, and one very last thing: This - # - is called the "number
sign" - I'd love to get my hands on the person who renamed it the
"pound" sign - where did he/she come up with that?? THIS - £ - is
the pound sign, okay!?

Only on your side of the pond. On our side, where we use pounds, # is called
a hash symbol.

And VBA is VB for applications, so it is VB. Maybe not the same, but it is
VB.

 

[James Silverton]

Hello, Bob!
You wrote on Thu, 26 Oct 2006 18:46:32 +0100:

??>> Anyway, Jim, I think that between the 2 of us, we've now
??>> completely eliminated any and all confusion on the part of
??>> anyone reading this who isn't exactly sure of the correct
??>> identification of the symbols on their keyboard.

BP> No, you have just added confusion to people raed this
BP> thread and who weren't confused originally.

??>> But while I'm at it, this - " - is NOT double quotes,
??>> okay? It's a quotation mark. If anything, it's a
??>> "single" quote. THESE - " " - are "double" quotes ,
??>> okay? And lastly, this - ' - is NOT a "single" quote;
??>> it's an apostrophe!!

BP> It's not single or double anything, it is qutation mark, or
BP> just quotes.

??>> Oh, and one very last thing: This - # - is called the
??>> "number sign" - I'd love to get my hands on the person
??>> who renamed it the "pound" sign - where did he/she come up
??>> with that?? THIS - £ - is the pound sign, okay!?

BP> Only on your side of the pond. On our side, where we use
BP> pounds, # is called a hash symbol.

I'm rather sensitive to this terminology since, while I am an
American, I did not benefit from an American education! Thus, I
did not have superbly confident schoolmarms drumming the names
for different sorts of brackets into me! Nor, the monumental
untruths that my kids were taught like "A pint's a pound, the
world around!"

The last reminds me that I have never been able to bring myself
to call # a "pound sign". I know the use and also "hash" and it
does not throw me but I regret to say that I call it the
"number sign" and I have no intention of changing.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not

 

[Bob Phillips]

Hello yourself James,

Hello, Bob!

I'm rather sensitive to this terminology since, while I am an
American, I did not benefit from an American education! Thus, I
did not have superbly confident schoolmarms drumming the names
for different sorts of brackets into me! Nor, the monumental
untruths that my kids were taught like "A pint's a pound, the
world around!"

Nor I. Whilst I was at school we dealt in brackets pure and simple. We never
used the phrase paretheses, braces, or any such else. It was only when I
started to use these symbols in a professional way did it become necessary
to differentiate between them, and it was at this point that we used all of
the other terms. Whilst I was raised on brackets, it is my understanding
that parentheses is, and has been for may decades/centuries, the correct
term to use, but somewhat formal. In some ways, the use of parentheses in
language, an interruption of continuity, says it all

As for "A pint's a pound, the world around!", a pint is not even a pint the

The last reminds me that I have never been able to bring myself
to call # a "pound sign". I know the use and also "hash" and it
does not throw me but I regret to say that I call it the
"number sign" and I have no intention of changing.

As I said, we tend not to call # a pound over here, and even when we used to
denote the number, as in #1, we don't tend to say number one, but rather
first or hash-1.