Microsoft KB Archive/69866

Utilities Calculate Incorrect with Negative Numbers in Columns PSS ID Number: Q69866 Article last modified on 07-14-1994

1.00 1.10 1.10a 2.00

WINDOWS

Summary:

Choosing Calculate from the Utilities menu may produce incorrect results when working with a column containing two or more negative numbers followed by a positive number.

More Information:

Below are examples of mixed positive and negative numbers in columns and the result Word displays after calculating the columns using the Utilities Calculate command.

Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 ——— ——— ——— ———

1             -10              1           1-2-3+1 -2 -9 -2 -3 0 -3 1 +1

Result: 1 Result: -1 Result: -3 Result: -3 Expected: -3 Expected: -19 Expected: -3 Expected: -3

When two or more negative numbers are followed by a positive number, Word inverts the signs of the final negative number and the positive number following it (for example, in Example 1 above, the numbers are calculated as +1-2+3-1=1 instead of 1-2-3+1=-3).

Word will calculate negative and positive numbers correctly when the positive number following a series of negative numbers is preceded by a “+” sign, as in Example 3, or when the numbers are arranged in linear rather than columnar order, as in Example 4.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Word for Windows versions 1.0, 1.1 and 1.1a. This problem was corrected in Word for Windows version 2.0

Additional reference words: w4wother winword 1.0 1.1 1.1a 1.00 1.10 1.10a 2.0 2.00 noupd

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Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1994.