Multiply 0 by Negative on Coprocessor Yields -0 in Excel

Last reviewed: November 2, 1994
Article ID: Q63972

SUMMARY

Microsoft Excel will multiply numbers using its own routines rather than using standard coprocessor calls and will return the product of a negative number and zero as -0 (-zero), instead of the correct 0 (zero).

The only workaround is to trap the value of such a product and use another value instead. For example, taking the absolute value of the resultant -0 will return the correct value of 0.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Excel for Windows versions 2.0, 2.01, and 2.1, and Excel for OS/2 version 2.2. This problem was corrected in version 2.1d of Excel for Windows and version 2.21 of Excel for OS/2.

KBCategory: kbother
KBSubcategory:
Additional reference words: noupd

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Last reviewed: November 2, 1994
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