Excel 2000 in a Nutshell

Name

ABS

Synopsis

Use ABS to determine the absolute value of a number, which is the actual numeric value of the number without the negative or positive sign. For example, both ABS(-34) and ABS(34) equal 34. This function is typically used when you need to get the actual numeric value so you can perform another calculation. I would recommend using it with any function that requires a positive numeric value for the argument.

To Calculate

=ABS(Number)

Number

This argument is required, and must have a value that can equal any numeric value.

Example

Figure 14-5 shows how ABS is used to make sure a numeric value is positive before it is passed to another function.