VAR

Microsoft Office Spreadsheet Functions

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VAR

See Also

Estimates variance based on a sample.

Syntax

VAR(number1,number2, ...)

Number1,number2, ...   are 1 to 30 number arguments corresponding to a sample of a population.

Remarks

  • VAR assumes that its arguments are a sample of the population. If your data represents the entire population, then compute the variance using VARP.
  • Logical values such as TRUE and FALSE and text are ignored. If logical values and text must not be ignored, use the VARA spreadsheet function.
  • VAR uses the following formula:

    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?

Strength
1345
1301
1368
1322
1310
1370
1318
1350
1303
1299
Formula Description (Result)
=VAR(A2:A11) Variance for the breaking strength of the tools (754.2666667)