numbers or text?

[WorkingStiff]

Why does Excel assume that if the user types 1+1 into a cell, that the data are text, not formulae? This is really annoying -- if I needed a word processor, I wouldn't be using Excel.

[jaclaz]

Very simplified: the first character in a cell deteremines the type of the data in it.

"Canonical" way, input:

=1+1

Working, alternative way, input:

+1+1

jaclaz