The VARA function in Google Sheets is a powerful tool used to calculate the variance of a dataset based on a sample. Unlike some other variance functions, VARA includes the ability to handle text entries by treating them as zero, which can be beneficial in many analytical scenarios.

Syntax

VARA(value1, [value2, ...])

• value1: Required. The first number or cell reference from which you want to calculate the variance.
• value2: Optional. Additional numbers or cell references for variance calculation. You can include up to 30 additional values.

Example #1

=VARA(A1:A5)

This function calculates the variance of the values in cells A1 to A5. For instance, if A1 to A5 contain the values 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, the result would be 2.5, indicating the variance of this sample set.

Example #2

=VARA(10, 20, "text", 30)

This instance computes variance for the numbers 10, 20, and 30 while treating the text “text” as 0. Hence, the variance calculated would be approximately 50, reflecting the actual numbers only.

Example #3

=VARA(B1:B10)

If B1 to B10 consists of values like 12, 15, “”, 18, 20, and so forth, this function estimates the variance while treating any blank cells (like the empty cell in B3) as 0. The result might be a variance of about 8.5.

Error handling

• DIV/0!: Occurs when there are insufficient numeric data points to calculate variance.
• VALUE!: This error arises if non-numeric data types, besides text, are included, leading to an inappropriate input.
• N/A: Indicates that an argument is missing that is necessary for the calculation.

Conclusion

The VARA function in Google Sheets provides a unique approach to calculating variance by accommodating text values as zero. This feature allows for more flexible data analysis, making it indispensable for users dealing with diverse datasets. Leveraging its syntax and understanding potential errors can enhance productivity and accuracy in your data analysis tasks.