XL2000: The TDIST Function Returns #NUM! if the X Argument Is Negative

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This article was previously published under Q214371

Symptoms

In Microsoft Excel 2000, if you type a formula that uses the TDIST function, the formula may return a #NUM! error. This behavior may occur even when you use a value greater than or equal to 1 for the degrees_freedom argument, and a value of 1 or 2 for the tails argument.

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Cause

This behavior occurs if the X argument is negative (less than zero) in the following syntax

TDIST(x,degrees_freedom,tails)

where x is the numeric value at which to evaluate the distribution.

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Resolution

To resolve this behavior, use a value that is greater than or equal to zero for the X argument in the TDIST function.

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More information

In Microsoft Excel, the TDIST function allows you to calculate the Student t-distribution. The t-distribution is used in the hypothesis testing of small sample data sets. You can use the TDIST function in place of a table of critical values for the t-distribution.

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References

For more information about the TDIST function, click Microsoft Excel Help on the Help menu, type tdist worksheet function in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.

NOTE: The Help file does not mention any restrictions for the X argument. However, the following additional information does apply:

If x is less than 0, the TDIST function returns a #NUM! error.

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