In Excel, which function is used to calculate the mean?

The AVERAGE() function in Excel is specifically designed to calculate the mean of a given set of numbers. When you use this function, it sums up all the values in the specified range and then divides that total by the count of those values, effectively providing you with the average. This makes AVERAGE() the appropriate choice for finding the mean, as it directly reflects the mathematical definition of the mean.

Although SUM() provides the total sum of a series of numbers, it does not calculate the average. MEAN() is not a valid function in Excel, as the software does not recognize it; instead, it uses AVERAGE() for this purpose. MEDIAN(), on the other hand, finds the middle value in a sorted list of numbers but does not compute the mean, which is a different statistical measure. This clarity on each function’s purpose helps reinforce why AVERAGE() is the correct choice for calculating the mean in Excel.