GEOMEAN Function (OpenOffice Calc)

• Introduced: First release not established; documented by OpenOffice.org 3.3.
• Supported in: Apache OpenOffice 4.1.16; this is a verified release, not a final supported version.
• Scope: Desktop Calc, English function names and semicolon-separated formulas. Locale and file-format mappings may differ.
• Checked: October 14, 2026. Eight reference formulas and the listed boundary cases were recalculated in 4.1.16 on Linux x86-64, Build 9816, using XLSX import. Source and independent mathematics were also checked.

GEOMEAN returns the geometric mean of the collected positive observations. For n values it equals EXP(ΣLN(x)/n). The source sums logarithms rather than multiplying every observation into one potentially overflowing intermediate product. Release implementation.

=GEOMEAN(Number1 [; Number2; …])

Supply one or more positive numeric arguments or ranges. Zero and negative numeric values are rejected. Numeric cells in a referenced range contribute observations; referenced text and empty cells are skipped by the range collection path. Direct arguments can follow different coercion rules, so the explicit diagnostics below should not be generalized into a rule for all data types.

These eight formulas were recalculated in the stated 4.1.16 build using XLSX import. Saved numeric results agree with independent high-precision calculations; values below are rounded to twelve decimal places. The comparison concerns stored values, not a claim that every display format prints the same digits.

For the range formulas, enter these values in the indicated columns and rows. Keep labels outside the calculation ranges.

For growth factors 1.1 and 0.9, =GEOMEAN(1.1;0.9) gives approximately 0.994987437107. Subtracting 1 gives the constant two-period rate of approximately −0.501256% per period. The arithmetic average of the two percentage changes is zero, but the compounded product is 0.99.

Use gross factors such as 1+rate, not signed percentage changes themselves. A −10% change supplies the positive factor 0.9, not −0.1. This example describes equal-length periods and a multiplicative model; it is not a recommendation about an investment.

For 1, 4 and 16, the geometric mean is 4 because 4³ equals their product 64. Multiplying every positive observation by a constant c multiplies the geometric mean by c. The A and C worksheet columns illustrate this with a scale factor of 10.

For positive observations, the harmonic mean is no greater than the geometric mean, which is no greater than the arithmetic mean. For 2 and 8, those values are 3.2, 4 and 5. Equality occurs when all observations are equal. This ordering is a useful mathematical check, not a test of whether the data represent the intended quantity.

If observations represent unequal durations or different weights, the unweighted function does not silently account for them. A weighted log-average requires explicit positive weights and an appropriate interpretation of those weights.

A single positive observation returns that observation. A zero or negative number is not treated as an ignorable missing value. Replacing it silently with a small positive constant changes the model and can materially change the answer.

The logarithmic algorithm reduces the risk of an overflowing product, but it does not establish perfect accuracy for every magnitude or number of observations. Keep full calculation precision; round only the displayed result.

The following boundary formulas were recalculated in the same named method. H5 and H6 are deliberately empty cells where referenced. An error display remains an error even if the underlying ODS numeric attribute stores zero.

• average
• product

• Function-specific release entry
• Numeric helper or argument collection

The retained input and saved ODS preserve the tested formula identities. A stale SUM cache changed from 999999 to 3, and an uncached SUM returned 7 after hard recalculation. Native evidence is limited to the eight reference formulas and listed boundary cases in this exact release and method. Composite explanatory examples are independent calculations unless listed among those cases; other releases, locales and extreme-parameter accuracy were not established.