# Operators in a Formula

## Content

The following table lists the available operators. For each operator, an example is given of the syntax of using a literal value as well as a cell reference. The type of value returned is given for each type of operator.

| Type of Operator | Example Syntax | @cols=3:Result |
| ---------------- | -------------- | ------ | ------ | ------ |
| Operator | Description | Literal & Literal | Cell Ref & Literal | Type Returned |
| @cols=5:Binary Operators |
| + | Add | 5 + 3 | A1 + 3 | double |
| – | Subtract | 5 – 3 | A1 – 3 | double |
| \* | Multiply | 5 \* 3 | A1 \* 3 | double |
| / | Divide | 5 / 3 | A1 / 3 | double |
| ^ | Exponent | 5 ^ 3 | A1 ^ 3 | double |
| & | Concatenate | "F" & "p" | A1 & "p" | string |
| = | Equal |  | A1 <> 3 | boolean |
| < > | Not Equal |  | A1 = 3 | boolean |
| < | Less Than |  | A1 <3 | boolean |
| > | Greater Than |  | A1 > 3 | boolean |
| <= | Less Than Or Equal |  | A1 <= 3 | boolean |
| \>= | Greater Than Or Equal |  | A1 >= 3 | boolean |
| @cols=5:Unary Operators |
| - | Negate | -(5/3) | -(A1/3) | double |
| + | Plus | +(5/3) | +(A1/3) | double |
| % | Percent | (5/3)% | (A1/3)% | double |

Operators specify the type of calculation that you want to perform on the elements of a formula. Most of the operators return double-precision floating-point values for mathematical operations and boolean (or logical) values for comparison operators.

In SpreadJS, all arithmetic operators (including the unary +) check their arguments and return a #VALUE error if any of the arguments are strings that cannot be converted to a number. This is mathematically correct behavior and cannot be overridden. For example, the three formulas +B5 and 0+B5 and --B5 should all produce the same result and, in SpreadJS, they do.

For more information about operators, see [Order of Precedence](/spreadjs/docs/v16/formulareference/formulaoverview/operatorsinaformula/orderofprecedence) and [Operators with Dates and Times](/spreadjs/docs/v16/formulareference/formulaoverview/operatorsinaformula/opdatetime).