Datasheet

20
Part I: Statistics and Excel: A Marriage Made in Heaven
2. Select a function from the Statistical Functions menu to open a dialog
box for that function.
3. Enter the required information into the dialog box.
4. Close the dialog box.
Again I’ve oversimplified, and again not by much, as you see throughout
the book.
Statistical Functions menu? Yep. This time around, you have a Statistical
Functions menu that wasn’t in the earlier incarnations. It’s buried under
Formulas | More Functions | Statistical
In Chapter 2 I show you how to make that menu more accessible.
Excel 2007’s statistical functionality is by and large the same as in previous
versions. The new version adds three statistical functions: COUNTIFS (counts
the number of cells that meet a set of conditions), AVERAGEIF (finds the aver-
age of cells that meet a condition), AVERAGEIFS (finds the average of cells
that meet a set of conditions).
Some Things about Excel You
Absolutely Have to Know
Although I’m assuming you’re not new to Excel, I think it’s wise to take a
little time and space up front to discuss a few Excel fundamentals that figure
prominently in statistical work. Knowing these fundamentals helps you work
efficiently with Excel formulas.
Autofilling cells
The first is autofill, Excel’s capability for repeating a calculation throughout
a worksheet. Insert a formula into a cell, and you can drag that formula into
adjoining cells.
Figure 1-4 is a worksheet of expenditures for R&D in science and engineer-
ing at colleges and universities for the years shown. The data, taken from a
U.S. National Science Foundation report, are in millions of dollars. Column H
holds the total for each field, and row 11 holds the total for each year. (More
about column I in a moment.)
05 454060-ch01.indd 2005 454060-ch01.indd 20 4/21/09 7:17:58 PM4/21/09 7:17:58 PM