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QUARTILE.INC

The QUARTILE.INC function calculates the quartile of a dataset, which is a measure of statistical dispersion. It is commonly used to split a dataset into four equal parts, each containing 25% of the data points. The function takes in two parameters - the dataset as data and the quartile number as quartile_number - and returns the value of the specified quartile. Quartile numbers are specified as follows: 1 for the first quartile (25th percentile), 2 for the second quartile (50th percentile, or median), and 3 for the third quartile (75th percentile).

Usage

Use the QUARTILE.INC formula with the syntax shown below, it has 2 required parameters:

=QUARTILE.INC(data, quartile_number)
Parameters:
  1. data (required):
    The range or array of data points for which to calculate the quartile.
  2. quartile_number (required):
    The quartile number to calculate. Must be a number between 1 and 3.

Examples

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

Calculating the median

The QUARTILE.INC function can be used to calculate the median of a dataset by specifying the quartile number as 2.

Calculating the interquartile range

The interquartile range is a measure of statistical dispersion that is defined as the difference between the third and first quartiles. The QUARTILE.INC function can be used to calculate both quartiles, allowing for the interquartile range to be easily determined.

Identifying outliers

Outliers are data points that fall outside of the expected range of values in a dataset. By calculating the quartiles of a dataset using the QUARTILE.INC function, it is possible to identify potential outliers by examining data points that fall outside of the expected range.

Common Mistakes

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

Not providing enough data

The data parameter must contain at least 4 values. If you provide less than 4 values, the function will return an error.

Providing non-numeric data

The data parameter must contain only numeric data. If you provide non-numeric data, the function will return an error.

Related Formulas

The following functions are similar to QUARTILE.INC or are often used with it in a formula:

  • AVERAGE

    The AVERAGE function calculates the average (arithmetic mean) of the values passed to it. It is commonly used to find the average of a range of cells containing numerical data.

  • MEDIAN

    The MEDIAN function returns the median (middle) value of a set of numbers. It is commonly used to find the middle value in a range of data points. If the number of data points is even, it returns the average of the two middle values. This function can be useful in statistical analysis and data visualization.

  • STDEV.P

    The STDEV.P function is a statistical function that calculates the standard deviation of a population based on a sample of numerical data. It is commonly used to measure the amount of variation or dispersion in a dataset. The formula assumes that the input values represent the entire population, rather than a sample. If the input values represent a sample, you should use the STDEV.S function instead.

  • VAR.P

    The VAR.P function returns the variance of its arguments, which is a measure of the spread of a dataset in statistics. Unlike the VAR function, VAR.P function considers all the values in the dataset when calculating its variance, not just a sample of them. The function is commonly used to analyze the variability of a dataset and determine how much the data points deviate from the mean.

Learn More

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