AVEDEV

See Also

Returns the average of the absolute deviations of data points from their mean. AVEDEV is a measure of the variability in a data set.

Syntax

AVEDEV(number1,number2,...)

Number1, number2, ... are 1 to 30 arguments for which you want the average of the absolute deviations. You can also use a single array or a reference to an array instead of arguments separated by commas.

Remarks

The arguments must either be numbers or be names, arrays, or references that contain numbers.
If an array or reference argument contains text, logical values, or empty cells, those values are ignored; however, cells with the value zero are included.
The equation for average deviation is:

AVEDEV is influenced by the unit of measurement in the input data.

Example

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

How?

Create a blank workbook or worksheet.
Select the example in the Help topic. Do not select the row or column headers.

Selecting an example from Help
Press CTRL+C.
In the worksheet, select cell A1, and press CTRL+V.
To switch between viewing the results and viewing the formulas that return the results, press CTRL+` (grave accent), or on the Tools menu, point to Formula Auditing, and then click Formula Auditing Mode.

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Data
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Formula	Description (Result)
=AVEDEV(A2:A8)	Average of the absolute deviations of the numbers above from their mean (1.020408)