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SKEW

The SKEW function calculates the skewness of a distribution based on a sample of data. Skewness is a measure of the asymmetry of a distribution around its average value. A positive skewness indicates that the distribution has an asymmetric tail extending towards more positive values, while a negative skewness indicates an asymmetric tail extending towards more negative values. The function can be useful in financial analysis, quality control, and other statistical applications.

Usage

Use the SKEW formula with the syntax shown below, it has 1 required parameter and 1 optional parameter:

=SKEW(value1, value2)
Parameters:
  1. value1 (required):
    The first data point or range of cells containing the data to analyze.
  2. value2 (optional):
    Optional. Additional data points or ranges of cells containing the data to analyze.

Examples

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

Assessing symmetry of a distribution

You can use the SKEW function to calculate the skewness of a distribution of data to assess its symmetry. A perfectly symmetrical distribution will have a skewness of 0, while a positive or negative value indicates asymmetry.

Comparing skewness of different data sets

By calculating the skewness of different data sets using the SKEW function, you can compare the degree of asymmetry between them and determine which has a more extreme tail.

Detecting outliers

Outliers in a data set can skew the overall distribution and influence the skewness. By calculating the skewness both with and without suspected outliers using the SKEW function, you can determine whether they are significantly impacting the overall distribution.

Common Mistakes

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

Using non-numeric values in the dataset

The SKEW function only works with numeric values, so any non-numeric values in the dataset will cause the function to return an error. Make sure to remove any non-numeric values before using the function.

Forgetting to close parentheses

Like with all functions in Google Sheets, it is important to close all parentheses when using the SKEW function. Forgetting to close a parentheses will result in an error.

Related Formulas

The following functions are similar to SKEW 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.

  • MODE

    The MODE formula in Google Sheets returns the most frequently occurring value in a dataset. It is commonly used in statistical analysis to identify the value that occurs most frequently in a set of data. The formula requires at least one input value, but can accept multiple values to include in the analysis.

  • STDEV

    The STDEV function calculates the standard deviation of a set of numbers. It measures the amount of variation or dispersion of a set of values from the average (mean) value. It is commonly used in statistics to determine the spread of a data set. The values can be supplied as individual cells, ranges, or constants.

  • VAR

    The VAR formula calculates the variance of a set of numerical values. Variance is a measure of how spread out a set of data is in relation to the mean. This formula is commonly used in statistical analysis to measure the variability or diversity of a dataset.

Learn More

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