Calculation Basics
Calculation
BasicsUsing Parentheses to Control the Order of Operations
When it comes to math operating signs in an Excel formula, Excel understands
and uses the order of operations correctly. It does not necessarily move from
left to right within the formula. Instead, it follows the old mnemonic phrase
“Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally”: Parentheses (P) and other grouping
symbols take precedence, followed by Exponents (E). Next, Multiplication (M)
and Division (D) are done in order from left to right, and then Addition (A) and
Subtraction (S), also from left to right. The only exception is that if you use a
minus sign in front of a number, Excel assumes it to be a negative number first
before performing any other operation. If your students understand how to
calculate correctly using the order of operations, then they should have few
problems writing formulas.
A very simple word problem can explain how this works.
Jimmy brought 4 candy bars to the club house.
Calvin brought 2 candy bars.
Suzy brought 6 candy bars.
They agreed to split the candy bars equally. How many candy bars does
each club member get?
The obvious solution is to add the numbers together and divide by 3. However,
using the formula =4+2+6/3 results in the wrong answer of 8. To fix this, you
need to enclose the addition in parenthesis so that Excel knows to do the
adding first, followed by division. The formula =(4+2+6)/3 gives the correct
result of 4.