Microsoft KB Archive/95209

= Limit for Input Range in Fourier Analysis Tool =

Article ID: 95209

Article Last Modified on 8/15/2005

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Excel 97 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Excel 95 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Excel 5.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Excel 98 for Macintosh

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This article was previously published under Q95209




 * Microsoft Excel for Windows 4.0|4.0
 * Microsoft Excel for Windows 4.0a|4.0a
 * Microsoft Excel for Windows 5.0c|5.0c
 * Microsoft Excel for Windows 95 7.0a|7.0a
 * Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh 4.0|4.0
 * Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh 5.0|5.0
 * Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh 5.0a|5.0a



For a Microsoft Excel 2000 and later version of this article, see 214098.



SYMPTOMS
When you use the Fourier Analysis tool in Microsoft Excel, you may receive an error message similar either of to the following:

Fourier Analysis - The number of input values must be 4096 or less.

-OR-

Fourier Analysis - The number of input values must be a power of 2. For example : 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, ...



CAUSE
The first problem will occur if the input range you specify contains too many cells. The limits to the number of input cells that you can specify are as follows.

                                   Limit of   Microsoft Excel version       input cells -

versions 5.0 and later             4,096 version 4.0 for Windows            1,024 version 4.0 the Macintosh           256

The second problem will occur if the number of cells specified in the input range is not equal to a power of two: for example, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, or 4096 data points.

If you specify an input range that is not equal to a power of two or is greater than the limit noted above, you will receive one of the error messages shown above.



MORE INFORMATION
Fourier Analysis is a technique for solving problems in linear systems and analyzing periodic data.

If the input range specified in the Fourier Analysis tool does not meet the criteria specified above, an error message will occur when you use the Fourier function in a macro or when you use the Fourier tool (found by choosing Analysis Tools command from the Options menu). (In version 5.0, the Fourier Analysis Tool is found by choosing Data Analysis from the Tools menu.)

Additional error messages that you may receive are as follows.

  Microsoft Excel 7.0, Excel 97 and Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition --

Fourier Analysis - The number of input values must be a power of 2. For example : 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, ...

Microsoft Excel 5.0 ---

Fourier Analysis: Fast Fourier Transform only supports 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, or 4096 data points.

Microsoft Excel 4.0 for Windows ---

Fourier Analysis: Fast Fourier Transform only supports 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512 or 1024 data points.

Microsoft Excel 4.0 for the Macintosh --

Fourier Analysis: Fast Fourier Transform only supports 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, or 256 data points.

