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FINV

The FINV function calculates the inverse of the F probability distribution. It is commonly used in statistical analysis to determine the F-statistic, which is used to test the null hypothesis that the variances of two populations are equal. The function takes in the probability of the F-distribution, as well as the degrees of freedom for two data sets.

Usage

Use the FINV formula with the syntax shown below, it has 3 required parameters:

=FINV(probability, degrees_freedom1, degrees_freedom2)
Parameters:
  1. probability (required):
    The probability associated with the F-distribution.
  2. degrees_freedom1 (required):
    The degrees of freedom for the numerator of the F-statistic.
  3. degrees_freedom2 (required):
    The degrees of freedom for the denominator of the F-statistic.

Examples

Here are a few example use cases that explain how to use the FINV formula in Google Sheets.

Comparing variances of two populations

FINV can be used to determine the F-statistic when comparing the variances of two populations, which is useful for statistical hypothesis testing.

Quality control analysis

FINV can be used in quality control analysis to test whether there are significant differences between the variances of different samples.

Investment portfolio analysis

FINV can be used in investment portfolio analysis to determine the significance of differences in the variances of different asset classes.

Common Mistakes

FINV not working? Here are some common mistakes people make when using the FINV Google Sheets Formula:

Missing or incorrect arguments

One of the common mistakes when using the FINV formula is to forget to include one or more of the required arguments, or to use incorrect arguments. Make sure to include the probability, degrees of freedom 1, and degrees of freedom 2 in the correct order.

Probability not between 0 and 1

Another common mistake when using the FINV formula is to use a probability value that is not between 0 and 1. Make sure to use a probability value that falls within this range.

Degrees of freedom not positive

The degrees of freedom values in the FINV formula must be positive. If you use a non-positive value, it will result in an error. Make sure to use positive values for degrees of freedom 1 and degrees of freedom 2.

Related Formulas

The following functions are similar to FINV or are often used with it in a formula:

  • F.DIST

    The F.DIST function calculates the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of the F-distribution. This function is commonly used in statistical analysis to determine the probability that two variances are from the same population. The result of F.DIST is the probability that the random variable of an F-distribution is less than or equal to a specified value.

  • F.INV.RT

    The F.INV.RT function returns the inverse of the F probability distribution. It is commonly used in hypothesis testing to determine the critical value at which the null hypothesis can be rejected. The function takes three arguments: the probability value, and the two degrees of freedom values.

  • F.TEST

    The F.TEST function returns the result of an F-test, which tests the equality of variances between two datasets. It is commonly used to compare the variances of two datasets to determine if they are significantly different. If the result is less than or equal to a critical value, the variances are considered equal. If the result is greater than the critical value, the variances are considered unequal.

Learn More

You can learn more about the FINV Google Sheets function on Google Support.