Excel Data Analysis For Dummies, 5th Edition

Chapter 11

Analyzing Data Using Statistics

IN THIS CHAPTER

Learning the countless ways to count things in Excel

Calculating the mean, median, mode, and other averages

Figuring out a value’s rank in relation to the rest of the data

Grouping your data into a frequency distribution

Messing around with statistical workhorses such as standard deviation and correlation

Excel is a statistics powerhouse that boasts more than 100 statistical worksheet functions. That’s great if you’re a statistician, but do you really need all that stats muscle if you’re just doing basic data analysis? You’ll no doubt be relieved to hear that the answer is a resounding “No!” Most of Excel’s statistical features redefine the word esoteric. Believe me when I tell you that you can safely do without Excel features such as cumulative beta probability density and Fourier analysis. I merrily skip over those features and many more in this chapter as I focus on Excel’s most important and most useful statistical methods, ...