cell ref as exponent problem

alpinescott

New Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2004
Messages
48
hello,

i've run into a formatting problem (i think) that won't allow me to run a calculation that uses a cell ref. as an exponent.
here's what i've got:
the value that i'm trying to raise to the nth power is the result of this formula:
=((10*(AM3))/AO14) gives me this value (-4.479)
the exponent "a" is a result of this formula:
=(0.49+0.0179*(AO14)-(0.0000771*(AO14)^2)+(0.000000675*(AO14)^3))
gives me this value (.7962)
so the formula that's giving me troubles is
=(AR3)^AQ14
i've tried changing the formatting of both to numbers, the exponent "a" to a fraction, copying and pasting values to remove the formula ref. etc. and nothing works. when i enter the values into the formula (has to be both, not one value and one cell ref. i tried this too and it doesn't work) it will return the proper value. has anyone run across this problem before?
thanks, scott
 

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=(AR3)^AQ14

shouldn't give any trouble with appropriate values.

I believe you didn't specify what result you get. Care to do that?
 
Upvote 0
alpinescott said:
right sorry, yes i am getting the #NUM! error.
s

See the Excel help topic for "Correct a #NUM! error". I'm not a mathmetician, but isn't the result an imaginary number?

-2.64614472196301+1.971226238112i
 
Upvote 0
ok, tested the exponent and still get the #NUM! error, ran it using both the formula return and the paste-special-value as the exponent.
s
 
Upvote 0
i did check the excel help for this error, and thought it might have been a result of this:
Change the formula so that its result is between -1*10^307 and 1*10^307 but the result is nowhere near a number that small or large.
the only way i could get the formula to work was if i entered the values instead of cell references, and the exponent had to be entered as a fraction for it to work. the result should be 80.492283.

s
 
Upvote 0

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