Why is a formula written this way?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ross
  • Start date Start date
R

Ross

Hi all

Just curious...I recently came across the formula =Sum(C3:C3). What's it
doing? Why not just say =C3?

Thanks
 
Just curious...I recently came across the formula
=Sum(C3:C3).  What's it doing?  Why not just say =C3?
Click to expand...

Or at least =SUM(C3)?

I can think of several reasons. The first and foremost: we find a
lot of people who think they must put every expression in some
function call. I don't know where that's coming from. Probably some
"For Dummies" book ;-).

However, there are a number of reasonable reasons for writing such
formulas. For example, =SUM(C3) will be 0 even if C3 is text, whereas
=C3 simply duplicates the text. (Alternative: the N() function.)
=SUM(C3:C3) might have been the result of a wider range that was pared
down by deleting rows or columns. If you start with =SUM(C3:C24) and
delete the rows C4:C24, you end up with =SUM(C3:C3).
 
PS....

While I offered some justification for the OP's specific example,
there are other arcane examples that make little sense to me. For
example, =SUM(A1-B1). I think this is clearly an example of my first
explanation, namely a misunderstanding of what is needed to write an
expression.

Disclaimer: But I don't know the requirements of the many other
spreadsheet applications that were popular in the past. I refreshed
my memory of Visicalc, and I do not believe it required encapsulating
expressions in a function call. I'm pretty sure that Multiplan did
not, either. Don't know about Lotus, but I would be surprised if it
does.


------ original posting -----
 
Thanks for the insight. I think it is probably a leftover from a larger
range, as you said.

Have good Holidays!
 
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