In spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Excel, which leading symbol is used before a number to force it to be stored and treated as text rather than as a numeric value?

Introduction / Context:
Spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel automatically interpret typed values. If you type digits, the program usually treats them as numbers that can be used in calculations. Sometimes, however, you want a value that looks like a number to be stored as text, for example when entering product codes, phone numbers, or identifiers with leading zeros. Spreadsheets provide a shortcut by allowing you to start the entry with a special symbol. This question asks which leading symbol is used for that purpose.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The context is entering data in spreadsheet cells in programs such as Excel.
- We are dealing with values that look numeric but should be stored as text strings.
- The options include equal sign, double quotation marks, apostrophe, and underscore.
- We assume default spreadsheet behaviour where formulas start with an equal sign.

Concept / Approach:
In Excel and many similar spreadsheets, formulas begin with an equal sign, while normal numeric and text entries are typed without special markers. If you want to force a numeric looking value to be treated as text, you can begin the cell entry with an apostrophe. The apostrophe itself is not displayed in the cell once you press Enter, but it instructs the program to interpret the rest of the characters as text, not as a number or formula. Double quotes are used inside formulas to represent text strings, not as a leading symbol for raw data entry, and underscore has no special meaning in this context.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that in Excel, typing an equal sign at the beginning of a cell tells the program that you are entering a formula, not raw text. Step 2: Recall that entering numbers directly without special symbols causes Excel to store them as numeric values suitable for arithmetic operations. Step 3: Recognise that when you precede a number with an apostrophe in a cell, Excel stores the number as text, which is useful for items like phone numbers or IDs. Step 4: Understand that double quotation marks are used within formulas to define string constants but are not typically typed at the very beginning of a value when you just want to store plain text. Step 5: Note that underscore is treated as a normal character with no special meaning for forcing text entry. Step 6: Therefore conclude that the correct symbol is the leading apostrophe character.

Verification / Alternative check:
If you open a spreadsheet and type an apostrophe followed by numbers, then press Enter, you will see that the cell displays only the number, but alignment and formatting indicate text. Until you change it, the program will not use that value in numeric calculations, and sorting may treat it as text. Help documentation for Excel explicitly describes this behaviour and suggests the apostrophe technique for data such as postal codes. This clearly confirms that the leading apostrophe is the correct answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Equal sign character: Starts a formula rather than forcing a value to be stored as text.
Double quotation marks: Used inside formulas to delimit strings, but not as a simple leading symbol in ordinary cell entry for this purpose.
Underscore character: Has no special meaning in spreadsheet cell entry and does not change how the program interprets a numeric string.

Common Pitfalls:
Some users may think that enclosing a value in double quotes when typing directly in a cell will force it to be text, copying the syntax used inside formulas. In practice, this often results in unexpected behaviour or syntax errors if entered as a formula. Others may forget about the apostrophe technique and instead change cell format to text, which is slower for a small number of entries. Remember that the easiest way to treat a single numeric looking value as text is to begin the entry with a leading apostrophe character.

Final Answer:
In spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Excel, you force a number to be stored as text by using A leading apostrophe character before the value.