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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.

Usage

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

=VAR.P(value1, [value2, ...])
Parameters:
  1. value1 (required):
    The first value or range of cells containing the dataset to calculate the variance for.
  2. value2, ... (optional):
    Optional additional values or ranges of cells containing the dataset to calculate the variance for.

Examples

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

Calculating the variance of a single dataset

If you have a single dataset and want to know how much the data points deviate from the mean, you can use the VAR.P function to calculate its variance.

Calculating the variance of multiple datasets

If you have multiple datasets and want to know how much they differ from each other, you can use the VAR.P function on each dataset and compare the results.

Analyzing the variability of a dataset

The VAR.P function is commonly used to analyze the variability of a dataset and determine how much the data points deviate from the mean. This can help identify outliers or trends in the data.

Common Mistakes

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

Not providing any values

One common mistake when using VAR.P is not providing any values as input. This will result in a #DIV/0! error. Make sure to provide at least one argument to the function.

Providing non-numerical values

Another mistake is providing non-numerical values as input. This will result in a #VALUE! error. Make sure to only provide numerical values to the function.

Forgetting to close parentheses

Make sure to close all parentheses when using VAR.P in a formula. Forgetting to close parentheses can result in unexpected errors.

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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

Learn More

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