Microsoft KB Archive/214371

= XL2000: The TDIST Function Returns #NUM! if the X Argument Is Negative =

Article ID: 214371

Article Last Modified on 11/5/2003

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Excel 2000 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q214371





SYMPTOMS
In Microsoft Excel 2000, if you type a formula that uses the TDIST function, the formula may return a #NUM! error. This behavior may occur even when you use a value greater than or equal to 1 for the degrees_freedom argument, and a value of 1 or 2 for the tails argument.



CAUSE
This behavior occurs if the X argument is negative (less than zero) in the following syntax

TDIST(x,degrees_freedom,tails)

where x is the numeric value at which to evaluate the distribution.



RESOLUTION
To resolve this behavior, use a value that is greater than or equal to zero for the X argument in the TDIST function.



MORE INFORMATION
In Microsoft Excel, the TDIST function allows you to calculate the Student t-distribution. The t-distribution is used in the hypothesis testing of small sample data sets. You can use the TDIST function in place of a table of critical values for the t-distribution.

