# DEVSQ

## Content

This function calculates the sum of the squares of deviations of data points (or of an array of data points) from their sample mean.

## Syntax

`DEVSQ(number1, [number2], ...)`

## Arguments

This function has these arguments:

| Argument | Description |
| -------- | ----------- |
| *number1, number2, ...* | Number1 is required, subsequent numbers are optional. 1 to 255 arguments for which you want to calculate the sum of squared deviations. You can use a single array (cell range) instead of a list of values. You can use multiple arrays (cell ranges) as well. |

## Remarks

This is a measure of the variability in a data set.
The sum of squared deviations is calculated as follows, where *n* is the number of values.
![](https://cdn.mescius.io/document-site-files/images/8d606653-16a0-474d-b9dc-e2b4d01c2446/images/Func-DEVSQ.png)
If an array or cell reference argument contains text, logical values, or empty cells, the function ignores those values; however, the function includes in calculations cells with the value zero.

## Examples

`DEVSQ(B3,B5,B9,B10)`
`DEVSQ(B3:B14)`
`DEVSQ(R3C2,R5C2,R9C2)`
`DEVSQ(R3C2:R3C12)`
`DEVSQ(35,31,47,51,37,31,58,39)` gives the result 680.875