Gnumeric · Hypothesis testing · Advanced
Run One-Way ANOVA in Gnumeric with Sample Data
Use Gnumeric ANOVA: Single Factor with three small groups, interpret F and degrees of freedom, and check the arithmetic by hand.
Official documentation reviewed; native application verification pending · Updated 10 October 2026 · Editorial standards
One-way ANOVA examines whether group means differ more than expected from the variation within groups. It does not, by itself, identify which pairs of groups differ or establish a causal explanation.
Download the practice dataset
Use three-group ANOVA data, with four values in each column.
| Group A | Group B | Group C |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 11 | 14 |
| 9 | 12 | 15 |
| 10 | 13 | 16 |
| 9 | 12 | 15 |
Group means are 9, 12 and 15. The overall mean is 12. These numbers are deliberately regular so it is easy to inspect the calculations.
Open the ANOVA analysis
- Import the data into Gnumeric, keeping each group in its own column.
- Find ANOVA: Single Factor in the Statistics menu’s analysis tools.
- Select the three-group data region. Include the heading row only if you enable Labels.
- Use columns as groups, keep the documented default significance level (alpha 0.05) unless you have a prespecified alternative, and choose a separate output location.
- Locate F, group means, and both degrees of freedom in the output table.
Check the expected output
This dataset has total between-group sum of squares 72 and within-group sum of squares 6. With three groups and 12 observations, the degrees of freedom are 2 and 9. Thus:
MS_between = 72 / 2 = 36
MS_within = 6 / 9 = 0.6666667
F = 36 / (6/9) = 54
If the software reports a very different F statistic, review the input range and whether labels were incorrectly interpreted as data.
Interpretation cautions
ANOVA relies on assumptions about the observations and within-group errors, including independence. A small, perfectly structured teaching dataset cannot assess those assumptions. A statistically significant F result does not imply practical importance or prove that every group differs from every other group.
Next: Gnumeric paired t-test for before/after measurements, and Gnumeric descriptive statistics for a less assumption-heavy first overview.
Verification: All ANOVA sums of squares, degrees of freedom and F were independently calculated. Gnumeric’s dialog has not been executed in this environment.
Official documentation: Software manual or vendor release notes. The workflow follows the linked documentation; confirm the interface and outputs in your installed version because no native-application test is documented for this guide.