STDEVP in WPS Spreadsheet: Population Standard Deviation with Denominator Checks
Calculate WPS STDEVP for a complete population, reproduce the n denominator, compare subgroup effects, and distinguish population from sample spread.
Verification status: See the evidence and test scope described in this guide. How formula examples are checked
Quick answer: STDEVP calculates standard deviation when the supplied numeric observations represent the complete population being described. It uses the n denominator. For 2, 4, 4 and 6, the expected result is SQRT(2), approximately 1.414213562.
Availability and version history
- Introduced: documented by 2019-05-31 in an official WPS lesson; the first release is not established.
- Availability: the lessons identify WPS Office for Windows Personal, without a numeric build range.
- Scope: exact current supported builds and other WPS clients remain unverified; historical documentation does not establish retirement.
- Checked: October 14, 2026 against function-specific sources. Worked results were independently calculated; no native WPS test was performed.
Syntax and historical scope
=STDEVP(number1, [number2], ...)
The May 31, 2019 Windows Personal lesson describes 1–255 arguments and allows an array or reference instead of individual arguments. One range argument can contain many observations. That dated argument limit is not certified for every current WPS build.
The lesson says text and logical values are ignored. Its short statement is not treated as a full direct-versus-reference conversion table; the primary examples use numeric cells. Error inputs, formula-empty strings and empty or singleton datasets remain unverified.
Examples use English names and comma separators. The population or sample interpretation comes from what the observations represent, not from whether the worksheet happens to contain a large number of rows.
Example 1: reproduce the population denominator
Enter 2, 4, 4 and 6 in A2:A5. In D2 enter =AVERAGE(A2:A5), giving 4. In B2 enter =(A2-$D$2)^2 and fill through B5.
| Observation | Squared distance from 4 |
|---|---|
| 2 | 4 |
| 4 | 0 |
| 4 | 0 |
| 6 | 4 |
The squared distances total 8. Dividing by all four observations gives population variance 2. Taking its square root gives the expected population standard deviation:
=STDEVP(A2:A5)
=SQRT(SUM(B2:B5)/4)
Both independently expected results are approximately 1.414213562. The helper calculation explicitly fixes the numeric count at four; it is a transparent reproduction of this fixture, not a generic mixed-type implementation.
Example 2: compare the sample calculation
For those same four numbers:
=STDEV(A2:A5)
The sample model divides 8 by 3, giving expected standard deviation SQRT(8/3), approximately 1.632993162. The population model and sample model differ because of their denominators, not because one sorts or filters the data.
The official STDEVP lesson specifically recommends STDEV when the values represent a sample. See STDEV for that separately documented historical function. Neither formula can determine your sampling design from the cell values alone.
Advanced example: duplicated observations preserve population spread
Copy the original four numeric values twice into another range:
2, 4, 4, 6, 2, 4, 4, 6
The mean remains 4, the squared-distance total doubles from 8 to 16, and n doubles from 4 to 8. Population variance remains 2, so the expected STDEVP remains approximately 1.414213562.
The sample standard deviation of the duplicated range is instead SQRT(16/7), approximately 1.511857892. Repeating rows is not a harmless transformation for every statistic, and it does not create genuinely new independent observations in a study.
Advanced example: subgroup spread does not determine pooled spread
Consider two groups, 1 and 3, and 7 and 9. Each group’s population standard deviation is 1.
Pooling all four observations gives mean 5, squared distances 16, 4, 4 and 16, total 40, and population variance 10. The pooled expected STDEVP is SQRT(10), approximately 3.162277660.
Averaging the two subgroup standard deviations would give 1 and miss the separation between the group means. To summarize the pooled population, calculate from the pooled observations or use a valid aggregation that also accounts for group counts and means.
Units and referenced types
Adding 100 to every value in the primary fixture leaves its expected STDEVP unchanged. Multiplying every value by -3 multiplies the standard deviation by 3, giving approximately 4.242640687. Spread is nonnegative and scales with the absolute size of the multiplier.
For a documentation-scoped reference check, enter numeric 2, numeric 6, text pending, and =TRUE() in A2:A5 on another sheet. The lesson’s ignored text/logical rule gives an expected numeric-only population standard deviation of 2. This is a calculated expectation, not a native WPS result.
The plain STDEVP name is directly documented; its relationship to STDEV.P does not establish that the plain spelling has been retired. Exact current availability and cross-client conversion behavior remain unverified.
References and verification
- WPS Academy: STDEVP, 2019-05-31 (Chinese; Windows Personal).
- Editorial testing standards.
Expected outputs are independent calculations, not recorded native results. Current-build limits beyond the cited documentation remain unverified.