Microsoft KB Archive/121310

= WD: Formulas Incorrectly Calculate Times =

Article ID: 121310

Article Last Modified on 8/16/2005

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Word 6.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Word 6.0a
 * Microsoft Word 6.0c
 * Microsoft Word 6.0 for Macintosh
 * Microsoft Word 6.01 for Macintosh
 * Microsoft Word 6.01 for Macintosh
 * Microsoft Word 95 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Word 98 for Macintosh

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This article was previously published under Q121310





SYMPTOMS
The MAX and MIN functions display incorrect results when calculating numbers in a time format. For example, if you have the following column of numbers:   0:11:30 0:08:50  0:02:01   0:12:00 the MAX function, such as    {=MAX(above)} returns a result of 58; the MIN function   {=MIN(above)} returns a result of 3.

These incorrect results also occur when you use the SUM formula and you bookmark the times and reference the bookmark names in your formula.



CAUSE
Word interprets the colon as an operator for addition. In the above example, Word first adds 11 and 30, 8 and 50, 2 and 1, and 12 and 0. This computes to 41, 58, 3, and 12. The highest or MAX value equals 58; the lowest or MIN value equals 3. The SUM formula gives you the result of 114.



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

Additional query words: paste function table format time max min sum formula calculation calculate add addition

Keywords: kbbug kbfield KB121310

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