Math
TRUNC vs INT: chop decimal places without rounding and handle negative values
Understand why TRUNC(-4.89) gives -4 while INT(-4.89) gives -5, and use TRUNC's second argument to cut at N decimal places.
Two crucial differences between TRUNC and INT
On positive numbers like 14.897, TRUNC(14.897) and INT(14.897) both return 14. Two differences matter in real models:
1) Precision control: TRUNC(number, [num_digits]) lets you keep fixed decimal places without rounding up—TRUNC(14.897, 2) = 14.89 (whereas ROUND gives 14.90). 2) Negative numbers: TRUNC(-4.89) simply drops the fraction to return -4, whereas INT(-4.89) rounds down to the next lower integer (-5).
| Input (A) | TRUNC(x) | INT(x) | TRUNC(x, 2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14.897 | 14 | 14 | 14.89 |
| -4.89 | -4 | -5 | -4.89 |
Extract exact fractional part of positive or negative numbers
Because TRUNC preserves sign symmetry around zero, A3 - TRUNC(A3) isolates the signed fractional part (-0.89 on -4.89), whereas A3 - INT(A3) returns +0.11.
=TRUNC(A2, 2)Truncate to tens or hundreds with negative num_digits
Passing num_digits = -1 chops the ones digit without rounding: TRUNC(148.9, -1) = 140.
=TRUNC(148.9, -1)Try the example
Use the original values or change them to test your understanding.