AVERAGE
Excel AVERAGE Function
Excel has a built-in function called AVERAGE that computes the average, or arithmetic mean.
The type is =AVERAGE.
The range is added and then divided by the total number of observations.
Example:
The average of (2, 3, 4) is 3.
3 observations (2, 3 and 4)
The sum of the observations (2 + 3 + 4 = 9)
(9 / 3 = 3)
The average is 3
Note: There exist various categories of mean values. The arithmetic mean is the most used kind of mean. More information on the arithmetic mean can be found in the Statistics Mean Tutorial.
AVERAGE does not take into account text in cells.
Let’s examine an example in which we assist Pokemon trainers in determining the average number of Pokeballs for each trainer.
How to use the =AVERAGE function, step by step:
- Select a cell (F2)
- Type =AVERAGE
- Double click the AVERAGE command
- Select a range (B2:E2)
- Hit enter
- Next, Fill F2:F7
Well done! You’ve used the AVERAGE function to calculate the average successfully.
Another Example
Example using cells with text:
The function finishes the calculation and ignores text-containing cells.
