How to use the NOT function
What is the NOT function?
The NOT function returns the Boolean opposite to the given argument. TRUE returns FALSE and FALSE returns TRUE.
1. Introduction
What is a Boolean value?
A Boolean value in Excel is a value that can only be TRUE or FALSE. It represents binary logic and is the result of a logical expression using logical operators or a result of a few Excel functions that I'll discuss below.
Mastering Boolean logic and logical expressions is key to manipulating data and controlling workflow in Excel.
What is binary logic?
Binary logic refers to values having one of two states, TRUE or FALSE. This allows Boolean algebra in Excel using logical operators.
What is a logical expression?
A logical expression is a statement that evaluates to TRUE or FALSE. For example:
=A1<4
These expressions use comparison operators to evaluate a condition and produce a Boolean result.
What are the comparison operators?
= - equal sign
< - less than sign
> - greater than sign
These operators let you build more operators like this:
<> - not equal to
<= - less than or equal to
>= - greater than or equal to
These comparison operators let you create logical expressions like: A2<>5 meaning if the value in cell A2 is not equal to 5, the result is either TRUE or FALSE.
What are the logical operators?
The main logical operators in Excel are:
- AND - Returns TRUE if all conditions are true
- OR - Returns TRUE if any condition is true
- NOT - Negates a logical expression
- XOR - Returns TRUE if only one condition is true
Which functions returns the Boolean value TRUE or FALSE?
| Excel Function and Arguments | Description |
|---|---|
| AND(logical1, logical2, ...) | Returns TRUE if all arguments are TRUE |
| OR(logical1, logical2, ...) | Returns TRUE if any argument is TRUE |
| NOT(logical) | Reverses the logic of its argument |
| XOR(logical1, logical2, ...) | Returns TRUE if an odd number of arguments are TRUE |
| ISEVEN(number) | Returns TRUE if number is even |
| ISFORMULA(value) | Returns TRUE if value is a formula |
| ISLOGICAL(value) | Returns TRUE if value is logical value |
| ISNA(value) | Returns TRUE if value is #N/A error |
| ISNONTEXT(value) | Returns TRUE if value is not text |
| ISNUMBER(value) | Returns TRUE if value is number |
| ISODD(number) | Returns TRUE if number is odd |
| ISREF(value) | Returns TRUE if value is reference |
| ISTEXT(value) | Returns TRUE if value is text |
| ISBLANK(value) | Returns TRUE if value is blank |
| ISERR(value) | Returns TRUE if value is error except #N/A |
| ISERROR(value) | Returns TRUE if value is any error |
2. Syntax
NOT(logical)
| logical | Required. A boolean value or it's equivalent. TRUE = 1 and FALSE equals 0. |
3. Example 1
This example demonstrate how the NOT function handles values. The image above shows different values in cell range B3:B9 also error values. The NOT function is in cell range C3:C9 and the contain a cell reference to the adjacent cell in column B on the same row.
The first value is boolean value TRUE and it is in cell B3.
Formula in cell C3:
Cell C3 returns FALSE which is the opposite of the boolean value TRUE.
The second value is boolean value FALSE and it is in cell B4. Cell C4 returns TRUE which is the opposite of the boolean value TRUE.
The third value is numerical value 0 (zero) which is the numerical equivalent of FALSE, cell B5 contains 0 (zero). Cell C5 returns TRUE which is the opposite of the 0 (zero) which is the boolean value equivalent of FALSE.
The fourth value is numerical value 1 which is the numerical equivalent of TRUE, cell B6 contains 1. Cell C6 returns FALSE which is the opposite of 1 which is the boolean value equivalent of TRUE.
The fifth value is text value A which the NOT function can't handle, cell B7 contains A. Cell C7 returns #VALUE which is an error value that indicates an invalid input value.
The sixth value is nothing meaning an empty blank cell which the NOT function interprets as a 0 (zero), cell B8 contains nothing. Cell C8 returns TRUE which is the opposite value of the boolean equivalent of 0 (zero).
The seventh value is error value #DIV/0! which the NOT function can't process, cell B9 contains #DIV/0!. Cell C9 returns #DIV/0! which is an error value that indicates an invalid input value.
Note, the NOT function returns TRUE for a blank cell, see cell B8 and C8.
4. Example 2
This image shows a worksheet demonstrating the use of a formula that combines the IF, NOT, and ISTEXT functions. Column B contains various values numbers and text. Column D shows the results of applying the formula to each cell in column B.
Formula in cell D3:
Cells B3, B5, B7, B8, B9 contain numbers, so the formula returns "Not text value" for these. Cells B4 and B6 contain text, so the formula returns "This is a text value" for these.
The formula effectively categorizes each value in column B as either text or non-text, demonstrating the use of logical functions in Excel to analyze cell contents.
Let me break down the formula and explain how it's applied in the image:
- ISTEXT(B3): This function checks if the value in cell B3 is text. It returns boolean values TRUE or FALSE based on the contents of cell B3.
- NOT(...): This function inverts the logical result of ISTEXT.
So if B3 is text, NOT(ISTEXT(B3)) will be FALSE, and if B3 is not text, it will be TRUE. - IF(...): This function uses the result of NOT(ISTEXT(B3)) to decide which text to display:
If NOT(ISTEXT(B3)) is TRUE (meaning B3 is not text), it returns "Not text value"
If NOT(ISTEXT(B3)) is FALSE (meaning B3 is text), it returns "This is a text value"
'NOT' function examples
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Functions in 'Logical' category
The NOT function function is one of 16 functions in the 'Logical' category.
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