The results in column E are decimal values with the percentage number format applied. Converting this to an Excel formula with cell references, the formula in E5 becomes: As the formula is copied down, the formula returns a new price for each item in the table, based on the percentages shown in column D.
Negative percentages
A negative percentage will have the effect of increasing the original price. For example, with -10% in cell D5 (-0.10), the formula evaluates like this: This example explains the general formula for increasing a number by a given percentage.
Formatting percentages in Excel
In mathematics, a percentage is a number expressed as a fraction of 100. For example, 95% is read as “Ninety-five percent” and is equivalent to 95/100 or 0.95. Accordingly, the values in column D are decimal values, with the Percentage number format applied.
Dave Bruns
Hi - I’m Dave Bruns, and I run Exceljet with my wife, Lisa. Our goal is to help you work faster in Excel. We create short videos, and clear examples of formulas, functions, pivot tables, conditional formatting, and charts.
