How to calculate minimum in Google Sheets

The MIN function is a powerful tool for identifying the smallest value within a specified range of cells. It is commonly used in mathematical and statistical calculations to find the minimum numerical value in a dataset. It is a valuable tool for data analysis and statistical computations in Google Sheets.

Syntax

The basic syntax for the MIN function is as follows:

Here, number1 and number2 represents the cell number or any numeric value. It’s worth noting that we have the flexibility to include additional cells as needed.

Note: Ranges or cell references may be used instead of explicit values.

Simple values

If we simply want to find out the minimum value between 10, 20, and 30, we will use the MIN function using the formula given below:

List of cells

If we want to find MIN by providing the list of cells, we can use the formula given below:

Range of cells

If we want to find MIN by providing the range of cells, we can use the formula given below:

If we want to use the range of cells and want to skip a cell number, in that case. we can use the formula given below:

The above formula calculates the minimum of cells A1, A2, A3, and A5.

Steps

The following is a step-by-step guide to using the MIN function:

1. Select the cell: Click on the cell where we want the minimum value to appear.

2. Use the MIN function: Type =MIN( into the selected cell.

3. Select the range: If we want to calculate the minimum of the number of cells in the range A1 to A5, there are two ways to achieve the desired result:

   1. We can enter “A1:A5” after the opening parenthesis and then close the parenthesis and press the “Enter” button. The formula should look something like this: =MIN(A1:A5).

   2. We can also enter “A1,A2,A3,A4,A5” after the opening parenthesis and then close the parenthesis and press the “Enter” button. The formula should look something like this: =MIN(A1,A2,A3,A4,A5).

Let’s now apply the above steps to our dataset. Let’s suppose we have the following dataset:

Now, our objective is to determine the minimum marks a student gets in the required dataset. We have seen two ways to calculate the MIN. Let’s use both ways:

Calculating the minimum with a list of cells

First, we select the cell where we need to calculate the MIN. Let’s suppose here the cell number is B9. Then, we select the "cell(B9)" and write the following in the cell:

Let’s visualize the above steps in action.

Note: As you can see in the above slide, when multiple cells are added, the system automatically highlights the cell number and alters its color for easier identification.

If an empty cell is included in a minimum formula and subsequently populated with a value, the total in cell B9, where the minimum is calculated, will automatically update to reflect the new value.

Calculating the minimum by specifying the range

First, we select the cell where we need to calculate the MIN. Let’s suppose here the cell number is B9. Then we select the “cell(B9)” and write the following in the cell:

Let’s visualize the above steps in action.

Things to remember

• If we try to find the product of any value (other than numbers) enclosed in double quotes, it will throw a #VALUE! error.

• Empty cells, text, the logical values TRUE and FALSE, and text values are all ignored when used with a range or by typing the cell numbers.