SKEW

Syntax:

SKEW ( argument-list )

Description: Computes the skewness of a distribution. [Note: Skewness characterizes the degree of asymmetry of a distribution around its mean. Positive skewness indicates a distribution with an asymmetric tail extending toward more positive values. Negative skewness indicates a distribution with an asymmetric tail extending toward more negative values. end note]

Mathematical Formula:

Arguments:

Name	Type	Description
argument-list	logical, number, name, text, array, reference	The arguments in argument-list designate the numbers for which the skewness is to be computed. Logical values and text representations of numbers that are entered directly into the list of arguments are included. If an array or reference argument contains text, logical values, or empty cells, those values are ignored; however, cells with the value 0 are included.

 

Return Type and Value: number – The skewness of a distribution.

However, if

• There are fewer than three data points, the return value is unspecified.

• The sample standard deviation is zero, the return value is unspecified.

[Example:

SKEW(3,4,5,2,3,4,5,6,4,7) results in 0.359543071

end example]