Show All

STDEV

See Also

Estimates standard deviation based on a sample. The standard deviation is a measure of how widely values are dispersed from the average value (the mean).

Syntax

STDEV(number1,number2,...)

Number1,number2,...   are 1 to 30 number arguments corresponding to a sample of a population. You can also use a single array or a reference to an array instead of arguments separated by commas.

Remarks

• Logical values such as TRUE and FALSE and text are ignored. If logical values and text must not be ignored, use the STDEVA spreadsheet function.
• STDEV assumes that its arguments are a sample of the population. If your data represents the entire population, then compute the standard deviation using STDEVP.
• The standard deviation is calculated using the "nonbiased" or "n-1" method.
• STDEV uses the following formula:

Example

Suppose 10 tools stamped from the same machine during a production run are collected as a random sample and measured for breaking strength.

The example may be easier to understand if you copy it to a blank spreadsheet.

How?