excel equation scientific notation

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  • themadjester
    New Member
    • Mar 2008
    • 37

    excel equation scientific notation


    (hover cursor over box to see image of formula that cannot be copied correctly from excel (rabble rabble rabble))

    So I made a 6th degree equation from a trendline in excel...

    If anyone can tell me what this is supposed to mean they can have a cookie* >.>. I know scientific notation, but it seems to me that regular SN is not good enough for microsoft, I mean, why would they put another value after the E? thats like saying -6x10^1 - 06x10^6 which makes no sense since the powers are sorted and this is a 6th degree polynomial... err.... have they invented their own convention?

    also.. anyone who can tell me if it is possible to calculate a first order derivative in excel can have another cookie*. I suspect not since no Google searches I did told me how and its not in the excel functions... but I may have missed it.

    Thanks!

    *actual cookie existence not guaranteed
  • JosAH
    Recognized Expert MVP
    • Mar 2007
    • 11453

    #2
    That notation isn't Microsoft's invention: the capital 'E' reads as 'times 10 raised to the power', so -6E-6 reads as 'minus six, timers 10 raised to the power minus six'. So in numbers: -6/1,000,000 (minus six divided by a million).

    kind regards,

    Jos

    Comment

    • themadjester
      New Member
      • Mar 2008
      • 37

      #3
      >.< ugh

      And that I understand since math in high school. however

      regular SN form is:

      1.8*10^4 or 1.8E4... etc

      But if you look at it (more closely at the first term in the polynomial) you will see that this show as
      -6E-06E^6 .
      I say, this makes very little sense.
      it would work out to be -6*10^1 - 06*10^6
      or
      -6*10*-06*10^6 which also means nothing

      which makes absolutely no sense at all as there is already a constant term and as I mentioned in my original post, not standard in any way that I can see.

      Which brings us back to my original question: What does MicroSoft intend this to mean?

      Comment

      • JosAH
        Recognized Expert MVP
        • Mar 2007
        • 11453

        #4
        Originally posted by themadjester
        But if you look at it (more closely at the first term in the polynomial) you will see that this show as
        -6E-06E^6 .
        That is not what I see from that picture you posted; I see -6E-06x^6 which makes sense ... or I completely misunderstand your question.

        kind regards,

        Jos

        Comment

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