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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.

Usage

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

=VAR(value1, [value2, ...])
Parameters:
  1. value1 (required):
    The first value or range of cells that contain the numerical data
  2. value2, ... (optional):
    Additional values or ranges of cells that contain the numerical data

Examples

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

Calculating variance of a data set

The VAR formula can be used to calculate the variance of a set of numerical values. This can be useful in statistical analysis to determine the diversity of a dataset.

Comparing variability of datasets

By using the VAR formula to calculate the variance of two or more datasets, you can compare their variability and determine which dataset has a larger spread of data.

Identifying outliers

A dataset with a large variance may indicate the presence of outliers. By using the VAR formula to calculate the variance, you can identify potential outliers that may need to be further investigated or removed from the dataset.

Common Mistakes

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

Forgetting to enter any values

If you forget to enter any values for the function to calculate the variance, it will return an error. Make sure you have entered at least one value before using the function.

Entering non-numerical values

The VAR function can only calculate the variance of numerical values. If you enter any non-numerical values, the function will return an error. Make sure all values entered are numerical.

Forgetting to close parentheses

If you forget to close the parentheses that enclose the values you want to calculate the variance of, the function will return an error. Make sure to close all parentheses when using the function.

Related Formulas

The following functions are similar to VAR 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.

  • 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.

  • STDEVP

    The STDEVP function calculates the standard deviation of an entire population. It is commonly used in statistical analysis to measure the amount of variation or dispersion in a set of data. This function takes in at least two numerical arguments representing the values in the population for which you want to calculate the standard deviation.

  • COVAR

    The COVAR formula calculates the covariance of two sets of data, which measures how much two variables change together. It is commonly used in statistical analysis to determine the relationship between two variables. The resulting value can be positive or negative, with a higher value indicating a stronger relationship.

  • CORREL

    The CORREL formula returns the correlation coefficient between two sets of data. This coefficient represents the strength of the linear relationship between the two sets of data, with values ranging from -1 (perfect negative correlation) to 1 (perfect positive correlation).

Learn More

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