Module 2 · Lesson 6
AVERAGE
Find useful averages and recognise the effect of blanks, zeros, and outliers.
An average needs context
AVERAGE adds the numeric values and divides by the count of numeric cells. Confirm that every value represents the same type of measure.
=AVERAGE(C2:C13)Check what the average hides
One unusually large or small value can shift the result. Compare the average with MIN and MAX before using it in a decision.
- Blank cells are ignored.
- A zero is included.
- Outliers can make an average misleading.
Key takeaway: AVERAGE ignores blank cells but includes zero values, so blanks and zeros do not mean the same thing.