GAUSS Function in Gnumeric: Formula, Examples, and Troubleshooting

=GAUSS(x)

There are no optional arguments. Gnumeric 1.12.62 lists GAUSS in the statistical plugin and labels its implementation complete with a basic upstream testsuite status. The official 1.12.62 announcement identifies it as newly added; do not assume availability on 1.12.61 or older. A distribution may package a different release or plugin selection. The C-source help gives GAUSS(x) = NORMSDIST(x) - 0.5, which is also the mathematical meaning of a signed integral from zero to x.

This example has one argument, so it needs no argument separator. In multi-argument related formulas below, the examples use the standard English comma; check locale/application settings if a pasted formula is rejected. Decimal values below use a dot.

1. Open a blank Gnumeric worksheet and enter z-score in A1 and signed central area in B1.
2. Type the input values below into A2:A6 exactly as shown.
3. In B2 enter =GAUSS(A2), then fill through B6.
4. Format B2:B6 as numbers with 10 decimal places so rounding does not hide the pattern.

Why it works: For x = 2, the standard-normal cumulative probability to the left of two standard deviations is about 0.9772498681; subtracting the 0.5 below the mean gives 0.4772498681. For negative inputs the signed area is negative. That is expected: the probability of an interval is never negative, but GAUSS as defined is a signed difference from the mean.

Suppose a manufacturing measurement is approximately normal with mean 100 mm and standard deviation 5 mm. You want the expected share between 95 mm and 105 mm, equivalent to z-scores -1 and +1. Enter:

=GAUSS(1)-GAUSS(-1)

Expected result: 0.6826894921, or approximately 68.27%. The equivalent short form for a symmetric interval is =2*GAUSS(1). This is a probability for the full interval, unlike a lone signed GAUSS result.

To turn an ordinary measurement in A2 into its z-score before calculating the area, use =GAUSS((A2-100)/5). With A2 = 105, the expected result is 0.3413447461. The assumptions of normality, the chosen standard deviation, and the unit conversion are the analyst’s responsibility.

• Confusing area with cumulative probability: GAUSS(1) is ~0.3413; NORMSDIST(1) is ~0.8413. If you need the left-tail probability, add 0.5 to GAUSS or use Gnumeric’s NORMSDIST.
• A negative result: GAUSS(-1) is approximately -0.3413, not a negative probability. For an interval, subtract values at the two endpoints in ascending order.
• A result close to 0.5: Very large positive z-scores approach a half-unit area. Results may round to 0.5 in the display; increase decimal places.
• A name-not-recognized or parsing error: Verify installed Gnumeric version is 1.12.62, check function plugin availability and confirm the input is numeric. The exact native error for every malformed input was not tested.
• Unit errors: Input must be standardized (measurement-mean)/standard_deviation; giving millimetres, dollars or percentages directly as x changes the problem.

Microsoft Excel documents GAUSS(z) with the same meaning (normal area from mean to z). In another spreadsheet that does not support GAUSS, use its standard-normal cumulative function and subtract 0.5—for example Excel =NORM.S.DIST(A2,TRUE)-0.5. Do not assume the same name or argument ordering in every LibreOffice/OpenOffice release; check that program’s function reference and version before translating a workbook. This article does not certify imported/exported spreadsheet formula round-tripping.

• NORMSDIST
• NORMDIST — parameterized normal distributions.
• STANDARDIZE — convert a measurement into a z-score.
• PHI — a proposed density guide in this review batch; link should not be enabled on the live site until the page is approved and deployed.

The release-identifiable Gnumeric 1.12.61 → 1.12.62 statistical source diff and Gnumeric 1.12.62 statistical code copy show help_gauss, one numeric argument, the identity NORMSDIST(x) - 0.5, the basic upstream test-status registration, and its implementation. These are independent mirrors of the release source, not a native spreadsheet run.

• Gnumeric — function documentation
• Gnumeric official function reference

Verification status: Official documentation checked; example outcomes were independently reasoned or arithmetically checked where applicable. Not executed in Gnumeric.

• No genuine Gnumeric screenshots are included; this guide does not use mock application images.