AVEDEV Function (OpenOffice Calc)

• Introduced: First release not established. The OpenOffice.org 3.3 appendix documents AVEDEV; that is historical presence evidence.
• Supported in: Apache OpenOffice 4.1.16; no final supported release established.
• Scope: Desktop Calc. Formulas below use English names and semicolon argument separators, with complete numeric example ranges.
• Checked: October 14, 2026. The eight reference formulas were recalculated in Apache OpenOffice 4.1.16 on Linux x86-64, Build 9816, using XLSX import and hard recalculation. Source and independent arithmetic were also checked.

AVEDEV averages the absolute distances of observations from their arithmetic mean. It returns a nonnegative measure in the original data units. This is a descriptive spread statistic, not a probability, a standard deviation or the median absolute deviation often abbreviated MAD. Function entry.

=AVEDEV(Number1 [; Number2; …])

Supply one or more numeric values or ranges. Each included number contributes one observation. A single numeric observation or a constant sample has zero deviation. The worked cases use complete numeric values so direct-text, blank-array and error coercion are not being assumed. The release calculation logic is the authority for these contracts.

Enter this compact set of numeric observations starting in row 4. Column D is Y shifted by 10; C and E are exact straight-line transformations of X. Keep these labels outside the formula ranges.

These eight formulas were recalculated in Apache OpenOffice 4.1.16 on Linux x86-64, Build 9816, after XLSX import. Saved ODS values match independent arithmetic; results below are rounded to twelve decimal places.

For X=1,2,3,4,5, the mean is 3 and the absolute distances are 2,1,0,1,2. Their sum is 6, so =AVEDEV(A4:A8) returns 1.2. A process measured in seconds therefore has mean absolute deviation 1.2 seconds, not 1.2 squared seconds.

For Y=2,4,5,4,5, the mean is 4 and the distances are 2,0,1,0,1. The result is 0.8. Do not confuse it with the sample standard deviation, approximately 1.224744871392. Both describe spread but apply different formulas.

Adding 10 to every observation changes the mean by 10 but leaves AVEDEV unchanged: column D is Y+10 and still gives 0.8. Multiplying X by −2 doubles the absolute deviation, even though the sign reverses. In general, AVEDEV(a+b×X)=ABS(b)×AVEDEV(X).

For 1,2,4,8, the mean is 3.75 and AVEDEV is 2.25. The median is 3, and the median of absolute distances from that median is 1.5. Those different answers illustrate why AVEDEV should not be labeled “median MAD.” It is still influenced by extreme observations because both the center and distances use the arithmetic mean.

Use COUNT and inspect the same numeric range to keep the analysis population visible. Referenced labels or blanks are not substitute observations, while genuine zeros must remain included. Error values and direct text inputs are not silently validated by these complete-data examples. Avoid hiding a calculation failure as zero spread.

Keep original values and units alongside the derived statistic. Rounding the source observations or intermediate mean can change a spread or standardized score; round for presentation after calculation.

• Function-specific 4.1.16 entry
• Shared evaluator and argument handling

The saved ODS retained the tested formulas and numeric inputs. A deliberately stale SUM result and an uncached SUM formula confirmed recalculation. Native evidence covers the eight reference formulas in the stated 4.1.16 build; other explanatory calculations are independent references. Other releases, locales and import formats were not tested.