This article shows how to calculate the mean and standard devotion of a set of numeric values using Microsoft Excel 2007.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Create the dataset
Step 1. Launch Microsoft Excel
Double-click the corresponding green "X" icon on a white background.
If you have prepared an Excel sheet in which you have entered the data to be processed, double-click on its icon to open it with Excel 2007. At this point, proceed directly to the calculation of the average
Step 2. Select the cell in which to insert the first data of the set
Click the cell where you will type the first number.
Make sure you select the column cell that you will use to enter all the numeric values to analyze
Step 3. Enter a number
Type the first number of the dataset.
Step 4. Press the Enter key
The entered number will be stored in the selected cell and the cursor will automatically move to the next cell in the column.
Step 5. Enter all the other values that make up the dataset to be processed
Enter the next number, press the key Enter, and repeat the step until you have entered all the values to be analyzed in the sheet. This will make it easier to calculate the mean and standard deviation of all the data you've entered.
Part 2 of 3: Calculate the mean
Step 1. Click an empty cell
Select the cell where you want to insert the formula for calculating the average.
Step 2. Enter the formula to calculate the "average"
Type the text string = AVERAGE () into the selected cell.
Step 3. Place the text cursor inside the formula brackets
You can press the left directional arrow on the keyboard to move the text cursor to the indicated point. Alternatively, click the space between the two brackets inside the formula bar located at the top of the Excel window.
Step 4. Enter the range of data to be processed
You can type the name of the first cell of the data, enter the colon symbol, and type the name of the last cell of the data set. For example, if the values to be averaged go from the cell A1 to the cell A11, you will need to type the following code A1: A11 inside the brackets.
- The complete formula should look like this: = AVERAGE (A1: A11)
- If you need to average a few numbers instead of an extended range of values, you can type the names of the individual cells that contain the data inside the brackets instead of the range of cells to be considered. Separate each value using a comma. For example if you want to calculate the average of the values stored in the cells A1, A3 And A10 you will need to type the following formula = AVERAGE (A1, A3, A10).
Step 5. Press the Enter key
The result of the formula will be calculated immediately and displayed in the selected cell.
Part 3 of 3: Calculate the Standard Deviation
Step 1. Click an empty cell
Select the cell where you want to enter the formula for calculating the standard deviation.
Step 2. Enter the formula to calculate the "standard deviation"
Type the formula. Type the text string = STDEV () into the selected cell.
Step 3. Place the text cursor inside the formula brackets
You can press the left directional arrow on the keyboard to move the text cursor to the indicated point. Alternatively, click the space between the two brackets inside the formula bar located at the top of the Excel window.
Step 4. Enter the range of data to be processed
You can type the name of the first cell of the data, enter the colon symbol, and type the name of the last cell of the data set. For example if the values with which to calculate the standard deviation go from the cell A1 to the cell A11, you will need to type the following code A1: A11 inside the brackets.
- The complete formula should look like this: = STDEV (A1: A11)
- If you need to calculate the standard deviation of a few numbers instead of an extended range of values, you can type the names of the individual cells that contain the data inside the brackets instead of the range of cells to be considered. Separate each value using a comma. For example, if you want to calculate the standard deviation of the values stored in the cells A1, A3 And A10, you will need to type the following formula = STDEV (A1, A3, A10).
Step 5. Press the Enter key
The result of the formula will be calculated immediately and displayed in the selected cell.
Advice
- Changing a value within the cells that make up the set of data analyzed will cause all the results of the formulas in which it is examined to be updated.
- The steps described in the article can also be used in any newer version of Excel (for example Excel 2016)
