Owner manual

Chapter 10 Statistical Functions 287

SLOPE

The SLOPE function returns the slope of the best-t line for the collection using linear

regression analysis.

SLOPE(y-values, x-values)

Â y-values: The collection containing the y (dependent) values. y-values is a collection

that can contain number, date/time, or duration values. All values must be of the

same type.

Â x-values: The collection containing the x (independent) values. x-values is a

collection that can contain number, date/time, or duration values. All values must be

of the same type.

Usage Notes

The two collections must be of the same size or the function returns an error. Â

If, for example, you had data on the driving speed of a vehicle and its fuel eciency Â

at each speed, fuel eciency would be the dependent variable and driving speed

would be the independent variable.

To nd the y-intercept of the best-t line, use the INTERCEPT function. Â

Example

In this example, the SLOPE function is used to determine the slope of the best-t line for the

temperature that this hypothetical homeowner has set on the thermostat (the dependent variable),

based on the price of heating oil (the independent variable).

=SLOPE(B2:B11, A2:A11) evaluates to approximately -3.2337, indicating a best-t line sloping

downward (as prices rose, the thermostat was lowered).