Microsoft Excel 2007 is NOT smarter than a 5th grader

Excel 2007 fails at simple math

from JoeUser Forums

I can't help but snicker at this news: Microsoft Excel {2007} Fails Math Test.

So Microsoft is pulling an Intel (remember the Pentium math processing issues?) and putting out software that can't do simple math?

A display error. Hmmm, nice to know that Microsoft may be the cause for overbillings to the tune of approx. $35,000 because of a display error related to multiplaction in Excel. I hope they get it fixed soon and in the meantime am glad I don't rely on Excel to run a business (but then again, I could be depending upon someone that is running Excel when I purchase a product or pay for a product that I've purchased.

26,336 views 12 replies
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
  
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Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top

Here's some of the details:

From IWon.com (linked in original article):

In a blog post, Microsoft employee David Gainer said that when computer users tried to get Excel 2007 to multiply some pairs of numbers and the result was 65,535, Excel would incorrectly display 100,000 as the answer.

Gainer said Excel makes mistakes multiplying 77.1 by 850, 10.2 by 6,425 and 20.4 by 3,212.5, but the program appears to be able to handle 16,383.75 times 4.

"Further testing showed a similar phenomenon with 65,536 as well," Gainer wrote Tuesday.

He said Excel was actually performing the calculations correctly, but when it comes time to show the answer on the screen, it messes up.

Gainer said the bug is limited to six numbers from 65,534.99999999995 to 65,535, and six numbers from 65,535.99999999995 to 65,536, and that Microsoft is working hard to fix the problem.

Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Like anyone's ever been able to add 1 + 1 around here and get 2!!!  

Give me a break, I don't even have children and I can recognize New Math when I see it!      

Haven't you ever heard the phrase "Check you math" ?   

                
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top

"Check you math"

Because of the decimal to binary conversion, if you want accuracy to decimal places, you always have to on a computer.  Strange but true.

Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Because of the decimal to binary conversion, if you want accuracy to decimal places, you always have to on a computer. Strange but true.


Say what!  
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Say what!


Yep. COmputers do not do decimal math accurately. If you convert to whole numbers and do the math, you are fine. But if you want to divide $1.44 by .12, prepare to get change(d).

but 144 divided by 12 will get you 12 each time.
Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top
Because of the decimal to binary conversion, if you want accuracy to decimal places, you always have to on a computer. Strange but true.


I have a hunch that the error is somehow related to binary, I just don't get why it would be 100,000. 65,536 is, of course, 16 bits. But that conversion would be 1 quadrillion, not 100,000.

So, of course, I'm still clueless.
Reply #9 from JoeUser Forums Top
So, of course, I'm still clueless.


This one is just a bone head blunder on MS' part, but yea, probably due to some binary conversion. As you say, the number is just a "leeeetle tooo convenient".
Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top
It's likely related to how float type is stored. Float type definitely is not stored in memory the same way as integrals.
Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Float type definitely is not stored in memory the same way as integrals.


And it gets the accountants most of all!
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top


New excuse of bulking companies funds: "Uhhh all the floating numbers got confused up in my mind, and I ended up taking company money."