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A software product from Microsoft called Excel is most often used to work with spreadsheets, perform calculations and calculations, build charts and graphs, and also has a lot of other useful properties. The ability to use Excel tools greatly facilitates the work of accountants, financiers, statisticians and representatives of other industries.
Where is the “not equal” sign used?
The “not equal” sign (≠) is used in the “SUMIF” function, which allows you to sum not all data, but only a number of digits that correspond to logical conditions.
This function works with multiple arguments:
- Range – evaluation of cells by certain criteria.
- Criteria – selection of cells in accordance with the range.
- Summing range – summing cells that meet the specified conditions.
In some cases, the last argument can be omitted, but the criteria and range continue to function.
Pay attention! The sequence of the “<" and ">” characters is very important. If the sequence is broken, the function does not work.
We put the sign “not equal” from the keyboard
The “not equal” symbol can be placed in a cell in several ways:
- using the keyboard;
- using special characters.
Among the many keys on the keyboard, there is no button with the symbol ≠, but it is not used for performing calculations in the Excel program. In order for the corresponding function to work, instead of “not equal to”, you should type the signs “<” (less than) and “>” (greater than) on the keyboard. And this is done in the English layout and with the Shift key pressed.
If all these requirements are not met, then the values u8800buXNUMXbof “B” and “U” will appear in the active cell, which carry absolutely no mathematical meaning, and the function will not be executed. You should get a combination of characters “<>“, which corresponds to the value “not equal”. The symbol “≠” does not work as a mathematical sign, it has a purely visual meaning. Also, do not forget about the existence of special combinations of Alt-codes that allow you to enter almost any character from the keyboard. Thus, the sign “≠” from the computer keyboard can be entered using the key combination Alt + XNUMX.
Advice! The Alt code set only works with the number keys on the right side of the keyboard and with NumLock enabled.
Other options to put the “not equal” sign
In some cases, the use of the keyboard may not be possible: the battery on the device with a Bluetooth connection has run out, or you are operating from a tablet or mobile phone. In any case, the choice of input method for special characters is up to the user.
So, one way to introduce the “not equal” sign is to use the library of special characters:
- In the “Insert” tab there is a block “Symbols”, in which you should select the “Symbol” button.
- As a rule, the sign “≠” can be found among the most popular. Otherwise, we call the menu “Other symbols”.
- For a quick search, in the “Set” parameter, select the “Math operators” category.
By the way, the “Symbols” tab also contains the symbols “<” and “>” necessary for the implementation of the corresponding calculations. But they should be looked for in the category “Basic Latin”.
The introduction of symbols is activated by clicking on the selected symbol and the “Insert” button in the same “Symbols” tab. After reaching the goal, that is, the appearance of the necessary characters in the active cell, the “Special characters” window can be closed.
Reference! The “Symbols” tab offers a choice of not only special mathematical symbols, but also trademarks, currency symbols, copyright symbols.
What is the best way to use
Excel users often use the keyboard to write formulas and functions. This method is both fast and convenient. And the option with calling the “Symbols” tab can be used for a single editing of the document or in other exceptional cases. For the visual design of a document using the “not equal” symbol, there is no other way to introduce the “≠” sign, except by choosing from the proposed symbol library. The ability to enter any character from the keyboard using Alt-codes speeds up the workflow at times and allows you not to be distracted by using additional Excel options and functions.