Learning how to obtain absolute value in Excel can be extremely useful, especially if you are one of the people who often use this type of file to perform mathematical calculations. Excel is one of the tools currently most used for statistical calculation, graphics and business studies.
Hence the importance of learning how you can calculate the absolute value in this program and thus be able to save yourself several procedures that you normally tend to do manually.
In this article we will explain what it is about the absolute value of Excel and how you can get it following some steps.
What is absolute value in Excel about?
The first thing you should know is that, in Excel, the absolute value is one that does not vary in a formula, regardless of the fact that the cell it is placed in is not in the same reference as the others. This is useful at times when you want use a specific value for different calculations in an excel sheet.
If you want to make use of this Excel function, you just have to add the $ symbol before the letter and number of the cell you are going to reference in the formula. If the case is that you selected cell B3, you must write $B$3.
However, if you want to calculate the absolute value of a real number in Excel, you must use the ABS function of said program. The usefulness of this function is that you can use it for mathematical operations in which you are only interested in working with the positive value of a number or result.
In other words, if you want to calculate the absolute value of data in Excel, you need to use the ABS function of said program.
What is the ABS function in Excel?
The ABS function is one of the formulas excel math, but it is also one of the least complicated to use. As we have already indicated, with it you can calculate the absolute value of a real number in an Excel spreadsheet.
It is important that understand the syntax of the ABS function, so that you can apply it to the different calculations you want to perform. The syntax that you must use in the Excel sheet is: ABS(Number).
In this case, the ABS tells the program what function you want used in the cell that is writing it. The section numerous, you must write the real number or the cell in which the number you want to see its absolute value is located.
Steps you can follow to know how to obtain the absolute value in Excel
As we have already told you, learning how to obtain the absolute value in Excel is extremely useful, especially when you plan to do calculations in which negative values cannot be taken consider. Here are some steps you can follow to make use of the ABS function.
- The first thing you should do is open the excel sheet and check what data you want to get the absolute value. It is recommended that organize the data by tables, for ease of calculation.
- Once you select the cell in which you want to apply the absolute value, you just have to write in said cell the following “=ABS(number or cell)".
- By doing so you will notice that negative values become positive and this is how you will see that the absolute value function is working.
These are the simplest steps so that you can use the ABS function in any of the tables or calculations that you are making.
Steps to know how to obtain the absolute value in Excel using its menu
Although we have already given you the steps to follow on how to obtain the absolute value of a number in Excel. However, there are other steps you can follow and thus make use of the same function. Next, we tell you what they are:
- The first thing you should do is open excel file and select which cell or cells you want to show the absolute value of the number.
- Once in the cell of interest, you must select the section “Formulas"
- Once in the formulas section, you need to select the option "Insert function".
- Clicking on this opens a menu in which you are asked to write a description about the function you are looking for. In this case you can use "ABS".
- When the program finds ABS function you must click on it and press to accept.
- Doing so displays a new menu called “function arguments” and in which you see a new section called “Number".
- In the number section, you must enter the cell or number that you want to get the absolute value of.
- By entering the cell and pressing to accept, you will observe how the number that was previously negative becomes positive. That is, you would be looking at the absolute value of that number or calculation of interest.
Example in which knowing how to obtain the absolute value in excel can be useful
In the image we show you an example of the ABS function in Excel, as you can see there are values for the column of "X” and some values for the “ columnY”. In the next column the calculation of the difference of XY, but since the values of the "X" column are less than the values of the "Y" column, you will get negative values.
However, when using the ABS function as we have explained in the previous steps, you will notice that the numbers go from negative to positive. Which means that you are looking at the absolute value of the result of subtracting the values of X with those of Y.
This is one of the simplest cases in which you can apply the absolute function when performing calculations in an Excel sheet.
Either use the steps formally or simply write the ABS function directly in the cell. you can get the absolute value of all calculations or numbers you want in your Excel sheet as long as you follow the steps that we have given you in this article.