LINEST in Excel The Excel spreadsheet function linest is a …

Short Description
brackets around the formula, to show that it is an array. Note that you cannot type in the “{ }”. characters yourself; if you do Excel will treat the cell …

Website: www.colby.edu | Filesize: 46kb

Content
LINEST in Excel
The Excel spreadsheet function “linest” is a complete linear least squares curve fitting routine
that produces uncertainty estimates for the fit values. There are two ways to access the “linest”
functionality; through the function directly and through the “analysis tools” set of macros. These
instructions cover using “linest” as a spreadsheet function.
Using linest in your spreadsheets is very easy, after you master the concept of an array function.
Array functions are functions that while entered into a single spreadsheet cell produce results that
fill several cells. The steps outlined below take you set-by-step through the process of linear
curve fitting.
Step 1. Type in your data in two columns, one
for the x variables and one for the y. You can
use any labels you would like. “x” and “y” are
used in the example at right for convenience.
Step 2. Select the area that will hold the output
of the array formula. For “linest” you should
drag to form a 5 row by 2 column data array.
Step 3. Click in the formula bar at the top of the screen. Now press the function wizard button….