# Excel question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 8, 2025, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-question/1020645 "2025-07-08T23:09:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-question/1020645/1 "2025-07-08T23:09:36Z")
The version of Excel I have (an old one) evaluates -2^3 = 8 rather than -8. That is it evaluates it as if it were (-2)^3. Has this been corrected on later versions of Excel? It correctly evaluates 0-2^3 = -8. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-question/1020645/2 "2025-07-08T23:12:28Z")
(-2)^3 is also -8, so there’s something else going on. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-question/1020645/3 "2025-07-08T23:21:43Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > Has this been corrected on later versions of Excel? Yes (at least, it works on my up-to-date version of Excel with no problems). IIRC operator precedence issues were a known thing in older versions. Seems it has been corrected (at least for this). Which version it got sorted out I do not know. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-question/1020645/4 "2025-07-08T23:23:36Z")
It gives the correct answer in the Microsoft 365 version for Mac: [![](https://fightingignorance.org/cae0b45b-ed81-4845-901d-583df9b7993b-book1-july-08-04-14-01-pm.jpg) ](https://fightingignorance.org/cae0b45b-ed81-4845-901d-583df9b7993b-book1-july-08-04-14-01-pm.jpg) And in the Excel online version: [![](https://fightingignorance.org/1a50c7ba-7d21-4737-a6ae-7b393e59af72-book-1-xlsx-july-08-04-15-47-pm.jpg) ](https://fightingignorance.org/1a50c7ba-7d21-4737-a6ae-7b393e59af72-book-1-xlsx-july-08-04-15-47-pm.jpg) > [@TroutMan](#): > > (-2)^3 is also -8 Maybe the OP meant to use an even exponent? e.g. `=-2^4` becomes `16` rather than `-16`) To make it `-16`, you’d have to explicitly do either: - `=-(2^4)` - or `=-POWER(2,4)` This is still the case in recent versions: [https://office-watch.com/2025/excels-order-calculation-bodmas/#h-10-2](https://office-watch.com/2025/excels-order-calculation-bodmas/#h-10-2) ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-question/1020645/5 "2025-07-08T23:24:07Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > (-2)^3 is also -8, so there’s something else going on. Yeah I made a mistake. I should have used an even exponent. So to be clear my old excel evaluates -3^2 = 9 rather than -9 0-3^2 = -9 correctly ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-question/1020645/6 "2025-07-08T23:40:22Z")
Excel makes so many calculation errors that it should never be relied upon for scientific or engineering calculations without independent verification. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-question/1020645/7 "2025-07-09T13:48:57Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > Yeah I made a mistake. I should have used an even exponent. So to be clear my old excel evaluates > > -3^2 = 9 rather than -9 > 0-3^2 = -9 correctly Unary minus conventionally takes a higher precedence than exponentiation. I believe that -3^2 = 9 is correct and is equivalent to (-3)^2 = 9 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-question/1020645/8 "2025-07-09T16:25:03Z")
There’s quite a good discussion of these sorts of precendence issues in this thread from late last year: > [@Equation: Order of operations](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equation-order-of-operations/1012088): > > 6 ÷ 2(1+2) I would solve it like this: 6 ÷ 2(3) 6 ÷ 6 = 1 The calculator on my iPhone solves it like this: (6 ÷ 2) x 3 3 x 3 = 9 PEMDAS: Parentheses, Exponent, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction. So: Parenteses = 1 + 2 = 3 (No exponents) Multiplication - 2 x 3 = 6 Division = 6 ÷ 6 = 1 Am I right, or is my phone right? Along about post 94 it switches gears to the various forms of confusion available between monadic negation, dyadic subtraction, and the leading negative specifier of a digit string all using the “-” symbol for what are actually different ideas. that portion, from post 94 to the end, bears directly on the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-question/1020645/9 "2025-07-09T16:27:46Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Unary minus conventionally takes a higher precedence than exponentiation. That depends on what context you’re working in. In algebra, exponentiation comes first, so -3^2 would equal -9. Cite: [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_operations#Unary_minus_sign) > [@](#): > > There are differing conventions concerning the [unary operation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unary_operation) ‘−’ (usually pronounced “minus”). In written or printed mathematics, the expression −32 is interpreted to mean −(32) = −9.[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_operations#cite_note-BS-2)[[8]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_operations#cite_note-ARGS-10) > > In some applications and programming languages, notably [Microsoft Excel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Excel), [PlanMaker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlanMaker) (and other spreadsheet applications) and [the programming language bc](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bc_programming_language), unary operations have a higher priority than binary operations, that is, the unary minus has higher precedence than exponentiation, so in those languages −32 will be interpreted as (−3)2 = 9.[[9]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_operations#cite_note-Microsoft_2005-11) This does not apply to the binary minus operation ‘−’; for example in Microsoft Excel while the formulas `=-2^2`, `=(-2)^2` and `=0+-2^2` return 4, the formulas `=0-2^2` and `=-(2^2)` return −4. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-question/1020645/10 "2025-07-09T16:37:11Z")
In both Excel and software programming, I feel like the usual safest thing to do is to just be excessively explicit, adding a bunch of parentheses in every step of the equation. I could never remember the correct order of operations to begin with (it’s not something I’ve discussed since grade school, and certainly not in adult professional life…). And even if _I_ knew them all correctly, it’s extremely unlikely that other software (or versions) and/or coworkers or users would also share that same correct understanding, so the probability of mistakes accumulates as that equation gets shared, used, and re-used more. Adding extra parentheses makes it clearer what your intent was (as the original equation writer), helps resolve differences between software packages, and more clearly indicates to other users & editors what the expected result should be. Seems like an easy win?