VAR
Estimates variance based on a sample (ignores text and logical values).
VAR(number1, [number2], ...)Arguments
number1First number or rangenumber2Additional numbers(optional)
=VAR(A1:A100)Variance of sample data
=VAR(10,20,30,40,50)Variance of values
=SQRT(VAR(A:A))Square root of variance
- •Variance is STDEV squared
- •Use VAR.P for entire population
- •Useful for statistical analysis
- •Using VAR (sample variance) on data that represents an entire population, which applies the wrong divisor (n-1 instead of n) and slightly overstates the true population variance
- •Interpreting VAR's result directly as a measure of spread in the same units as the data - variance is in squared units, so STDEV (its square root) is usually more intuitive to communicate
- •Applying VAR to a single data point, which returns a #DIV/0! error since sample variance requires at least two values to calculate a meaningful spread
VAR.PCalculates variance for an entire population rather than a sample, using n instead of n-1 as the divisor.STDEVTakes the square root of variance, returning a value in the same units as the original data rather than squared units.AVERAGEOften calculated alongside VAR to describe both the center and the spread of a dataset.Should I use VAR or VAR.P?
Use VAR (or VAR.S) when your data is a sample of a larger population - the typical case. Use VAR.P only when your data represents the entire population you're interested in.
Why is VAR's result so much larger than the values in my data?
Variance is expressed in squared units, so it naturally produces a larger number than the raw data. Take its square root (or use STDEV directly) for a more directly comparable measure of spread.
Why does VAR return #DIV/0!?
The range likely contains only one numeric value - sample variance divides by n-1, so at least two data points are required.
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