The Excel N function is a simple yet useful function that helps you determine whether a given value is a number or not. It returns either a 1 (for true, indicating a number) or a 0 (for false, indicating a non-number).
Syntax
N(value)
Arguments
| value | The value you want to check if it’s a number or not. |
How to use
Using the Excel N function is quite straightforward. You simply provide a value as an argument, and the function will return 1 if the value is a number and 0 if it’s not. Let’s look at some examples:
|
1 |
=N(5) |
This formula will return 1 because 5 is a number.
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1 |
=N("Hello") |
This formula will return 0 because “Hello” is not a number.
|
1 |
=N(TRUE) |
This formula will return 1 because Excel treats the logical value TRUE as the number 1.
|
1 |
=N(FALSE) |
This formula will return 1 as well, as Excel considers the logical value FALSE as the number 0.
|
1 |
=N("12345") |
This formula will return 1 because even though the value is in quotes, it represents a number in string form.
Additional Information
The Excel N function is particularly useful in data analysis and conditional formatting. It helps you quickly determine the numerical nature of a value, which can be essential when working with spreadsheets and performing calculations.