Documentation/How Tos/Calc: SKEW function

SKEW

Returns a measure of how skewed a distribution is.

Syntax:

SKEW(number1; number2; ... number30)

number1 to number30 are up to 30 numbers or ranges/arrays containing numbers.

SKEW returns a measure of how skewed a distribution is, relative to a normal distribution - that is, how asymmetric it is. Positive values indicate a distribution with a tail inclining to the positive side, and negative values a distribution with a tail inclining to the negative side. SKEW calculates:

for the n >= 3 numbers having a standard deviation s > 0.

Example:

SKEW(A1:A30)

returns a measure of how skewed the distribution of numbers in A1:A30 is.

SKEW(1; 3; 4; 5; 9)

returns approximately 0.885, indicating that the tail of this (too small to be useful) distribution inclines to the positive.

SKEW(1; 3; 4; 5; 7)

returns 0; the distribution is symmetric.

See also:

KURT

Statistical functions