STDEVP, which stands for “Standard Deviation of an Entire Population,” is a statistical function in Excel that helps you calculate the standard deviation of a given set of values. This value is useful for understanding how data points are spread out in a population.
Syntax
STDEVP(number1, [number2, …])
Arguments
| number1 | The first number or array of numbers for which you want to calculate the standard deviation. This argument is required. |
| [number2, …] | Additional numbers or arrays of numbers you want to include in the standard deviation calculation. These arguments are optional. |
How to use
To use the STDEVP function in Excel, follow these steps:
- Click on the cell where you want to display the result of the standard deviation.
- Type the formula
=STDEVP(number1, [number2], ...)where number1 is the first set of values, and number2, … are optional additional sets of values. - Press Enter to calculate the standard deviation for the specified data.
Here are some examples to illustrate how to use the STDEVP function:
|
1 |
=STDEVP(A1:A5) |
This formula calculates the standard deviation of the values in cells A1 to A5.
|
1 |
=STDEVP(B1:B10, C1:C10) |
This formula calculates the standard deviation of two sets of values: one in cells B1 to B10 and the other in cells C1 to C10.
Remember that the STDEVP function is used when you want to calculate the standard deviation of an entire population. If you’re working with a sample from a larger population, you should use the STDEV.S function instead.
Standard deviation is a valuable statistic for understanding the spread or dispersion of data. It quantifies how much individual data points deviate from the mean (average) of the dataset. A higher standard deviation indicates a wider spread, while a lower standard deviation suggests that data points are closer to the mean.