Re: [libreoffice-users] How do add percentage in Calc?

At 13:59 02/03/2012 -0800, Dottie Noname wrote:
> I have no idea how to add a percentage to a number in Calc.
>
> Example;
>
> Cell A1 has the number 100
>
> Cell A2 has a percentage- 2.9%
>
> I want to add 2.9% to the number in A1 so that the answer is in cell A1.
> That is- 100  +2.9%
> (just for your reference- the percentage in A2 is always changing 
> from my input)
>
> How in the world do I do it?

Short answer: you shouldn't!

Think about what happens when you make a mistake in entering data - 
or simply have to revise your input.  Suppose you put 3.9% into A2 by 
mistake (or that your input elsewhere achieves this effect).  Your 
ideal spreadsheet would increase A1 by 3.9%.  Now you correct your 
mistake and the value of A2 becomes 2.9%.  This change increases A1 
by 2.9%, as you originally wished.  But this will not be an increase 
of 2.9% of the original value, but of 2.9% of the already changed 
value - a total increase of just over 6.9% - not at all what you 
want!  What happens when you have entered more data and you then 
discover that some previous entry - not your last - was 
incorrect?  Oh, and don't think that you can correct this using Undo: 
you would be hard pushed to keep accurate track of what was happening 
unless you jotted everything down on paper.

If A2 is indeed calculated from multiple entries elsewhere, it would 
be recalculated after individual entries, not just after the full 
set.  That cannot be what you would want, either.

I trust this helps.

Brian Barker


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