PlanMaker SUMSQ: Sum of Squares, RMS and Centered Data

• Introduced: Documented by the PlanMaker 2010 manual; the original introduction release is not established.
• Availability: Documented in PlanMaker 2026. This identifies current documented support, not a final working-version endpoint.
• Scope: The reference belongs to the 2026/NX manual family. FreeOffice and individual mobile-build availability are not established here.
• Checked: October 14, 2026, against the official function reference. Expected outputs are vendor examples or independent calculations; no native PlanMaker test was performed.

=SUMSQ(Number1 [, Number2, Number3 ...])

The PlanMaker 2026 reference places the second and later arguments inside the optional part. At least one number is required in that printed current syntax. Square brackets and the ellipsis describe the signature; they are not characters to type into a worksheet formula.

For ordinary real inputs, each square is nonnegative. A negative input therefore contributes the same amount as its positive counterpart. SUMSQ does not retain the direction represented by that sign.

The short entry does not state a complete argument-count ceiling or every coercion rule. The examples below use explicit numeric arguments and individual numeric cell references.

Create a blank worksheet. Enter Input and Square in A1:B1, then put -2, 0, 3, 4 in A2:A5. Enter =A2^2 in B2 and fill through B5.

In D2 enter =SUMSQ(A2,A3,A4,A5); the independent expected result is 29. In D3 enter =SUM(B2:B5); expect 29 again. The two formulas expose the same sequence of squaring and addition.

For contrast, put =SUM(A2:A5)^2 in D4. Expect 25, because the original inputs sum to 5. The cross terms introduced by squaring a sum make that a different expression.

The source’s literal example =SUMSQ(1,2,3) can go in D6; its documented result is 14. For the current one-argument form, =SUMSQ(-7) in D7 has a definition-based expected result of 49.

Use the empty F:G block. Put 3, 4, 12 in F2:F4 and enter =SUMSQ(F2,F3,F4) in G2. The expected squared length is 169. In G3 enter =SQRT(G2); expect 13.

This model assumes three perpendicular components in the same unit. The sum of squares has squared units, and the square root returns the original length unit. It is not the distance obtained by simply adding the three components, which would be 19.

Back in D9, enter =SQRT(D2/4). The independent expected result is approximately 2.6925824036, the root mean square of the four original inputs. Dividing by four takes the mean of their squares; taking the root restores the original units.

RMS is not the arithmetic mean, and it does not become a standard deviation unless the appropriate centering and divisor are supplied. Explain the quantity being modeled before interpreting its size.

Create a separate worksheet named Centered. Put 8, 10, 10, 12 in A2:A5 and enter =AVERAGE(A2:A5) in D2. Expect 10. In B2 enter =A2-$D$2 and fill through B5; expected deviations are -2, 0, 0, 2.

In D4 enter =SUMSQ(B2,B3,B4,B5); expect 8. In D5 enter =SUMSQ(A2,A3,A4,A5); expect 408. The first squares deviations from the mean; the second squares the original measurements. SUMSQ itself performs no automatic centering.

The PlanMaker 2010 manual, page 611, prints SUMSQ(Number1, Number2 [, Number3 ...]), with two leading arguments outside brackets. The current 2026 entry instead makes Number2 optional.

That is a documented signature difference. It does not establish the exact release when one-argument calls became accepted, nor prove that the older implementation rejected them. Use the appropriate version’s reference when maintaining historical workbooks.

Check whether your intended expression is a sum of squares or a squared sum. Preserve original signed data if direction matters. Use consistent units, and keep labels or missing measurements out of these explicit numeric examples.

The short SUMSQ entry does not specify all blank, text, Boolean, source-error or overflow behavior. Its ordinary arithmetic definition does not justify importing another application’s complete error table.

SUM adds the square column, SQRT converts squared length to length, and AVERAGE supplies a centering value. For two paired ranges, SUMXMY2 squares the difference within each pair.