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Hi there. I am wanting to automatically change a negative number into a positive and a positive number into a negative.
I have used the ABS formulas to turn a positive into a negative, but I can't seem to make a positive into a negative. Is there a formula for both negative and positive in the same cell?
Thanks in advance.
Hayley
iMac 24″, macOS 14.4
Hi Hayley,
Not possible in the same cell.
Here we go with values in column B.
In another column (Column C in this example) multiply by -1
Formula in C2 is B2*-1
Numbers will change * to ×, the multiply symbol (not the letter x).
Regards,
Ian.
Hi Hayley,
Not possible in the same cell.
Here we go with values in column B.
In another column (Column C in this example) multiply by -1
Formula in C2 is B2*-1
Numbers will change * to ×, the multiply symbol (not the letter x).
Regards,
Ian.
I may be misunderstanding your original question because it seems too simple. You said you used ABS to turn a negative to a positive but you don't know how to turn a positive to a negative. Why not simply multiple the value by -1?
If B2 has 5 then B2*-1 = -5
If B2 has -5 then B2*-1 = 5
Your later question sounds like
=H13*J13*IF(H13>G13,-1,1)
I have to assume if H13=G13 that either H13 or J13 will be zero so that H13*J13 will be zero. If not, you need to decide on what to do for H13=G13
Hi Yellowbox.
Thank you. Now that I have done that, it seems I have another question.
What I am trying to achieve is, If H13 is larger than G13, K 13 cell displays a negative number, meaning I need to take off from the pattern. If H13 is smaller than G13, the number in cell K13 is positive, meaning I need to add onto my pattern.
The whole idea of this sheet is to tell me how much I need to alter a pattern to make it similar (going off an average) to the unwashed garment.
The K column needs to be clear whether I need to add or subtract from my master pattern.
Hope this makes sense?
Many thanks,
Hayley
Concur … simply multiply by “-1”
I think I just worked it out. If I multiply by the opposite of what the % average shows, this gives me the result I need. If I create another cell and do what you told me to in the first part of the question, this should solve the issue.
Out of curiosity is what I asked above possible?
Exactly. I worked it out in the end. I was overlooking the simple solution.
Thank you everyone for your amazing replies.
Making negative numbers positive, and positive numbers negative in a cell formula.
