CONTINUOUS Function (Calligra Sheets)

• Introduced: First release not established; the name is present in Calligra 2.4.0 source.
• Supported in: Calligra Sheets 26.08.2, with no retirement established.
• Scope: Desktop Sheets with the Financial module. Examples use English semicolon-separated formulas.
• Checked: October 14, 2026. Selected formulas ran through the official 25.04.2 engine library. Source and independent mathematics were checked. This is engine evidence, with no GUI-cell or import verification; 26.08.2 was source-checked only.

CONTINUOUS returns principal×EXP(rate×years). It represents a constant continuously compounded annual rate. Its result is the final amount, including principal, rather than interest earned alone. Function-specific official reference.

=CONTINUOUS(principal;annualRate;years)

Exactly three arguments are required: principal, decimal annual continuous rate and years. Keep the rate and time units consistent. There is no separate compounding-frequency argument. Registration and implementation.

The engine and mathematical columns are separate. Results are rounded to twelve decimal places, or thirteen significant digits in scientific notation for very small or large values. This is a display choice, not an accuracy guarantee.

At a 10% continuously compounded annual rate, 1000 after one year becomes approximately 1105.170918075648. Interest earned is the separate subtraction of 1000, approximately 105.170918075648.

For 5000 at 12% for five years, the result is approximately 9110.594001952545. This differs from quarterly compounding at the same quoted nominal rate, which uses a discrete factor. A continuous rate and an effective annual rate are not interchangeable labels.

The effective annual factor is EXP(rate); the corresponding effective annual rate is EXP(rate)−1. For the 10% example, that is approximately 0.105170918076. For a desired positive growth factor g over t years, the continuous rate is LN(g)/t.

Exponential growth has a semigroup identity: two one-year factors equal one two-year factor. The executed subtraction below leaves a tiny stored rounding residual. Negative rates describe exponential decay mathematically; the table includes 1000 at −5% for two years, approximately 904.837418035960.

The executed advanced check was:

=CONTINUOUS(1000;.1;2)-CONTINUOUS(1000;.1;1)*EXP(.1)

Its engine result was 1.110223024625E-16.

The wrapper adds no financial-domain guards. Negative principal or negative time is evaluated arithmetically. Nonnumeric principal text converts to zero, and nonnumeric rate text converts to zero, causing the original principal to be returned in the tested case. Incorrect arity gives #VALUE!.

The installed calculation engine retained a finite value near 1.970071114017E437 for the large-exponent probe. That is a narrowly scoped engine result, not evidence that another build, display format or export can retain it. Keep ordinary financial inputs within a meaningful and independently checked range.

• Function-specific implementation
• Versioned function help
• Arithmetic helper
• Exponential helper
• Conversion helper

The financial module and value-calculation helpers are byte-identical between the inspected 25.04.2 and 26.08.2 sources. That comparison supports the source discussion but does not establish later-version execution, GUI-cell behavior or other locales.

EXP, LN, POWER.