The DEC2BIN function with examples in Excel

 The DEC2BIN function in Microsoft Excel converts a decimal number to its binary equivalent. Here’s how it works:

• Syntax: DEC2BIN(number, [places])

  • number: The decimal integer you want to convert.
  • places (optional): The number of characters to use. If omitted, it uses the minimum necessary characters.

• If number is negative, valid place values are ignored, and DEC2BIN returns a 10-character (10-bit) binary number. The most significant bit represents the sign, and the remaining 9 bits represent magnitude (using two’s-complement notation for negative numbers).

• If number is nonnumeric, DEC2BIN returns the #VALUE! error value.

• Example:

  • To convert decimal 9 to binary with 4 characters: =DEC2BIN(9, 4) ➡️ Result: 1001
  • To convert decimal -100: =DEC2BIN(-100) ➡️ Result: 1110011100

Remember, if number is outside the range -512 to 511, or if places is not an integer or zero/negative, DEC2BIN returns an error value.