Two different expression result in c# and excel

calendar_today Asked Apr 24, 2013
thumb_up 19 upvotes
history Updated April 14, 2026

Direct Answer

In Excel ^ means exponentiation. In C# it means bitwise exclusive or. They are completely different operations; it is just a coincidence that they use the same symbol. Use…. This is a prose walkthrough, ranked #100th of 303 by community upvote score, from 2013.


The Problem (Q-score 3, ranked #100th of 303 in the Excel VBA archive)

The scenario as originally posted in 2013

I find something really weird, if I used below expression in excel and c# I get different results. 

(1) ^ (-12)

Excel gives 1 and c# gives -11.

Which one is right one?

Why community consensus is tight on this one

Across 303 Excel VBA entries in the archive, the accepted answer here holds strong answer (top 25 %%) status — meaning voters are unusually aligned on the right fix.


The Verified Solution — strong answer (top 25 %%) (+19)

Verbal answer — walkthrough without a code block

Note: the verified answer is a prose walkthrough. If you need a runnable sample, check Excel VBA entries ranked in the top 10 of the same archive.

In Excel ^ means exponentiation. In C# it means bitwise exclusive or. They are completely different operations; it is just a coincidence that they use the same symbol.

Use Math.Pow for exponentiation in C#.


When to Use It — classic (2013–2016)

Ranked #100th in its category — specialized fit

This pattern sits in the 94% tail relative to the top answer. Reach for it when your scenario closely matches the question title; otherwise browse the Excel VBA archive for a higher-consensus alternative.

What changed between 2013 and 2026

The answer is 13 years old. The Excel VBA object model has been stable across Office 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 365, and 2024/2026 LTSC, so the pattern still compiles. Changes that might affect you: 64-bit API declarations (use PtrSafe), blocked macros in downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), and the shift toward Office Scripts for web-first workflows.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does this sit in the top quartile of Excel VBA answers?
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Answer score +19 vs the Excel VBA archive median ~6; this entry is strong. The score plus 3 supporting upvotes on the question itself (+3) means the asker and 18 subsequent voters all validated the approach.

The answer has no code block — how do I turn it into a snippet?
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Use the walkthrough above as a checklist, then open a top-10 Excel VBA archive entry for a concrete starting template you can adapt.

Published around 2013 — what’s changed since?
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Published 2013, which is 13 year(s) before today’s Office 2026 build. The Excel VBA object model has had no breaking changes in that window. Three things to re-test: (1) blocked macros on downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), (2) 64-bit API declarations (PtrSafe, LongPtr), (3) any shift toward Office Scripts for web scenarios.

Which Excel VBA pattern ranks just above this one at #99?
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The pattern one rank above is “Is it possible to fill an array with row numbers which match a certain criteria without looping?”. If your use case overlaps, compare both before committing.

Data source: Community-verified Q&A snapshot. Q-score 3, Answer-score 19, original post 2013, ranked #100th of 303 in the Excel VBA archive. Last regenerated April 14, 2026.

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