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The Excel SUMSQ Function

Related Function:
SUMPRODUCT

Function Description

The Excel Sumsq function returns the sum of squares of a supplied set of values.

The syntax of the function is:

SUMSQ( number1, [number2], ... )

where the number arguments are numeric values (or arrays of numeric values) that you want to find the summed squares of.

If the values supplied to the function are text values, or logical values, these will be handled as follows:

Text Values:
  • If contained in cells that are referenced by the Sumsq function, text values are ignored;
  • If supplied directly to the Sumsq function:
    • Text values that can be interpreted as numeric values are treated as Numbers;
    • Text values that cannot be recognised as numeric values cause the function to return the #VALUE! error.
Logical Values:
  • If contained in cells that are referenced by the Sumsq function, logical values are ignored;
  • If supplied directly to the Sumsq function logical values are treated as numeric values (TRUE=1, FALSE=0).

In current versions of Excel (Excel 2007 and later), you can provide up to 255 number arguments to the Sumsq function, but in Excel 2003, the function can only handle up to 30 number arguments.


Sumsq Function Examples

The spreadsheets below show two examples of the Sumsq function.

 Formulas:
  A B
1 Values Sumsq
2 5 =SUMSQ( A2:A5 )
3 2 =SUMSQ( A2, A3, A4, 6 )
4 1  
5 3  
 Results:
  A B C
1 Values Sumsq  
2 5 39 = 5^2 + 2^2 + 1^2 + 3^2
3 2 66 = 5^2 + 2^2 + 1^2 + 6^2
4 1    
5 3    

The above examples show how:


Further details and examples of the Excel Sumsq function are provided on the Microsoft Office website.


Sumsq Function Error

If you get an error from the Sumsq function, this is likely to be the #VALUE! error:

Common Error
#VALUE! - Occurs if a value that is supplied directly to the function cannot be interpreted as a number.
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