Arrays

Some formulas require one or more arrays. An array is the same as a list, except that an array may be two-dimensional.

When entering numeric constants directly, rather than by cell reference, into a formula that requires an array as an argument, the array must be bounded by a pair of "braces" {}. For example, the INTERCEPT function (see INTERCEPT) requires two arrays as arguments. These are usually entered as cell ranges:

INTERCEPT(A1..A10, B1..B10)

but can be entered using numbers directly:

INTERCEPT({1, 2, 3, 4}, {1.1, 2.4, 2.9, 4.1})

Note that the arrays themselves are separated by a comma.

Other formulas, for example MDETERM (see MDETERM), where the function performs a calculation on a matrix with an equal number of rows and columns, take as argument a single array. Note that each row in the array is separated by a semi-colon:

MDETERM({2, 5, -3; -1, 10, 1; 2, -3, 1})

You cannot, however, use a range reference as if it were composed of separate ranges or individual cell references. So, for example, the formulas MDETERM({A1..C1; A2..C2; A3..C3}) and MDETERM({A1, B1, C1; A2, B2, C2; A3, B3, C3}) are invalid and return an error message.