Trimmean for limited array

Hi there,

What function would you use to determine an average on a limited array
which should be evaluated?

With a limited array I mean: just 5 to 8 values.
The reason why: I might have a pos. or a neg outlier in this limited
range which I would filter out. The probability to have 2 outliers is
nearly inexistant.

I thought =TRIMMEAN(B10:B17;40%) would be the best option.

Do you have other suggestions?

Best Regards Sige

If, for example, you have 5 values and you'd like to average the 4
highest ones, you can use the following formula...

=AVERAGE(LARGE(A1:A5,{1,2,3,4}))

Hope this helps!

In article <1138710652.275253.131000@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
"Sige" <SIGE_GOEVAERTS@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:

> Hi there,
>
> What function would you use to determine an average on a limited array
> which should be evaluated?
>
> With a limited array I mean: just 5 to 8 values.
> The reason why: I might have a pos. or a neg outlier in this limited
> range which I would filter out. The probability to have 2 outliers is
> nearly inexistant.
>
> I thought =TRIMMEAN(B10:B17;40%) would be the best option.
>
> Do you have other suggestions?
>
> Best Regards Sige

Sige,

For a small sample with outliers, average (mean) may not be the best measure. Perhaps MEDIAN would
be more appropriate, or using the STDEV as a measure before deciding. Personally, I would compare
the results from some past data sets and see what function or combinations of functions returns the
more useful number most of the time.

HTH,
Bernie
MS Excel MVP


"Sige" <SIGE_GOEVAERTS@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote in message
news:1138710652.275253.131000@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Hi there,
>
> What function would you use to determine an average on a limited array
> which should be evaluated?
>
> With a limited array I mean: just 5 to 8 values.
> The reason why: I might have a pos. or a neg outlier in this limited
> range which I would filter out. The probability to have 2 outliers is
> nearly inexistant.
>
> I thought =TRIMMEAN(B10:B17;40%) would be the best option.
>
> Do you have other suggestions?
>
> Best Regards Sige
>

Hi Domenic, Bernie,

Thanks for your suggestions!

Sige