How to calculate the average in Google Sheets

Google Sheets provides a powerful set of functions for performing various calculations on data. One fundamental operation is calculating the average of a set of numbers. A typical value from a range, distribution, or list of data can be produced using the AVERAGE function. The AVERAGE function calculates the arithmetic mean of a range of numbers. It adds up all the numbers in the specified range and then divides the sum by the count of those numbers. The formula of the average is given below:

Syntax

The basic syntax for the AVERAGE function is as follows:

Here, number1 and number2 represent 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 can be used instead of explicit values. We can add up to 255 numbers in the AVERAGE function.

Simple values

If we simply want to calculate the average of 10, 20, and 30, we will use the AVERAGE function using the formula below:

List of cells

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

Range of cells

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

If we want to use the range of cells and want to add an extra number or a cell number, we can use the formula below:

The above formula calculates the average of cells A1, A2, A3, and B3.

Steps

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

1. Select the cell: We click the cell where you want the average to appear.

2. Use the AVERAGE function: We type =AVERAGE( into the selected cell.

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

   1. Write “A1:A5” between parentheses and press “Enter.” The formula should look something like this: =AVERAGE(A1:A5).

   2. You can alternatively enter “A1,A2,A3,A4,A5” between parentheses and press “Enter.” The formula should look something like this: =AVERAGE(A1,A2,A3,A4,A5).

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

Now, our objective is to determine the average marks of a student from the given dataset. We aim to calculate the average marks of one student mentioned in the dataset. There are two ways to calculate the average. Let’s use both ways.

Using the AVERAGE function with a list of cells

First, we select the cell where we need to calculate the average. Let’s suppose the cell number is B9. After we select it, we write the following in the cell:

Let’s visualize the above steps in action.

Note: As we can see in the slides above, 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 an average formula and subsequently populated with a value, the total in cell B9, where the average is calculated, will automatically update to reflect the new value.

Using the AVERAGE function by specifying the range

First, we select the cell where we need to calculate the average. Let’s suppose here the cell number is B9. After we select it, we write the following in the cell:

Let’s visualize the steps above in action.

Things to remember

• Ranges or cell references containing numbers can all be arguments.

• Text representations of integers and logical values that we provide directly into the list of parameters are not included in the count.

• Text, logical values, and empty cells in a range or cell reference argument are disregarded; cells with the value zero are included.