ABS - Absolute value of a Number in Excel
C | D | |||||||||
Number | Absolute Value | |||||||||
4 | 10 | 10 | =ABS(C4) | |||||||
5 | -10 | 10 | =ABS(C5) | |||||||
6 | 1.25 | 1.25 | =ABS(C6) | |||||||
7 | -1.25 | 1.25 | =ABS(C7) | |||||||
What Does it Do ? | ||||||||||
This function calculates the value of a number, irrespective of whether it is positive or negative. | ||||||||||
Syntax | ||||||||||
=ABS(CellAddress or Number) | ||||||||||
Formatting | ||||||||||
The result will be shown as a number, no special formatting is needed. | ||||||||||
Example | ||||||||||
The following table was used by a company testing a machine which cuts timber. | ||||||||||
The machine needs to cut timber to an exact length. | ||||||||||
Three pieces of timber were cut and then measured. | ||||||||||
In calculating the difference between the Required Length and the Actual Length it does | ||||||||||
not matter if the wood was cut too long or short, the measurement needs to be expressed as | ||||||||||
an absolute value. | ||||||||||
Table 1 shows the original calculations. | ||||||||||
The Difference for Test 3 is shown as negative, which has a knock on effect | ||||||||||
when the Error Percentage is calculated. | ||||||||||
Whether the wood was too long or short, the percentage should still be expressed | ||||||||||
as an absolute value. | ||||||||||
Table 1 | ||||||||||
C | D | E | F | G | ||||||
35 | Test Cut | Required Length | Actual Length | Difference | Error Percentage | |||||
36 | Test 1 | 120 | 120 | 0 | 0% | |||||
37 | Test 2 | 120 | 90 | 30 | 25% | |||||
Test 3 | 120 | 150 | -30 | -25% | ||||||
=D36-E36 | ||||||||||
Table 2 shows the same data but using the =ABS() function to correct the calculations. | ||||||||||
Table 2 | ||||||||||
C | D | E | F | G | ||||||
44 | Test Cut | Required Length | Actual Length | Difference | Error Percentage | |||||
45 | Test 1 | 120 | 120 | 0 | 0% | |||||
46 | Test 2 | 120 | 90 | 30 | 25% | |||||
Test 3 | 120 | 150 | 30 | 25% | ||||||
=ABS(D45-E45) |
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