Negative Seconds

  • Thread starter Thread starter Steve Almond
  • Start date Start date
S

Steve Almond

I have a list of times (splits from a rowing machine), like so:

02:36.3
02:28.5
02:38.7
02:29.4

and I want to plot them as an oscillator, above and below 02:30.0. In other
words subtract each time from 02:30.0 (2 minutes 30 seconds). Excel has a
problem when the result is negative. 02:30.0 - 02:28.5 is fine (= +00:01.5),
but it cannot do 02:30.0 - 02:36.3 (which I would like to = -00:06.3).

Can this be done?

Thanks,

Steve
 
Steve,

Try applying 1904 system (Tools -- Options -- Calculation).

NB - this will adjust any dates you may have entered already. If applicable,
copy them out to another file first.

HTH,
Andy
 
Steve Almond said:
I have a list of times (splits from a rowing machine), like so:

02:36.3
02:28.5
02:38.7
02:29.4

and I want to plot them as an oscillator, above and below 02:30.0. In other
words subtract each time from 02:30.0 (2 minutes 30 seconds). Excel has a
problem when the result is negative. 02:30.0 - 02:28.5 is fine (= +00:01.5),
but it cannot do 02:30.0 - 02:36.3 (which I would like to = -00:06.3).

Can this be done?

Thanks,

Steve
Click to expand...


Steve,

In Tools-->Options-->Calculation, check the "1904 date system". Your
negative time difference should display correctly.
 
I have a list of times (splits from a rowing machine), like so:

02:36.3
02:28.5
02:38.7
02:29.4

and I want to plot them as an oscillator, above and below 02:30.0. In other
words subtract each time from 02:30.0 (2 minutes 30 seconds). Excel has a
problem when the result is negative. 02:30.0 - 02:28.5 is fine (= +00:01.5),
but it cannot do 02:30.0 - 02:36.3 (which I would like to = -00:06.3).

Can this be done?

Thanks,

Steve
Click to expand...

While Excel (using the 1900 date system) cannot display negative times, it does
calculate them properly.

Since your differences will likely be in seconds and tenths of seconds, you can
convert your differences into decimal numbers by multiplying by 86400 (number
of seconds in a day). Format as General; or as Number with 1 decimal place;
and plot the results.


--ron
 
The 1904 solution works perfectly, thanks.
Happily, it seems only to apply to the particular sheet, also.

Thanks,

Steve
 
When you wrote "the particular sheet", did you mean "the particular workbook" or
did you really mean sheet?

For me it changed all the dates in all the worksheets of that particular
workbook.

(and it can cause a problem if you merge dates between workbooks that have
different base dates.)
 
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