Variance provides a general idea of the spread of data.
For example, VAR will ignore FALSE when it appears in a range like A1:A10.
However, VAR will evaluate logical values, and text representations of numbers hardcoded directly as arguments.
Note: Microsoft classifies VAR as a “compatibility function”, now replaced by theVAR.S function.
Variation functions in Excel
The table below summarizes the variation functions available in Excel.
STDEVP has been replaced with a newer function called STDEV.P, which has the same behavior.
STDEV Function
The Excel STDEV function returns the standard deviation for data that represents a sample.
To calculate the standard deviation for an entire population, use STDEVP or STDEV.P.
STDEV.S Function
The Excel STDEV.S function calculates the standard deviation for a sample set of data.
STDEV.S replaces the older STDEV function, with the same behavior.
VAR.P Function
The Excel VAR.P function returns the variance in an entire population.
If data represents a sample of the population, use the VAR.S function.
VAR.S Function
The Excel VAR.S function returns the variance of a sample.
If data represents the entire population, use the VAR.P function.
VAR.S ignores text values and logicals in references.
