What you will build
Calculate the mean Amount of the five orders and return 184.
Learning objective
Enter the formula in a blank output area, understand every argument, compare the result with the visible source data and diagnose range or criterion mistakes.
Open the practice workbook
Use the sample below and keep the full source table visible while checking the result.
Practice in your own copy
Make your own Google Sheets copy with the same data, formulas, formatting, filter and frozen header. The original remains unchanged.
Sign in to Google. If the original is not publicly shared, download the full workbook and import it into Google Sheets, or paste the example data into your own sheet.
Open the sample workbook in Google Drive (access required) ↗
Hands-on practice
Step 1: Choose a blank summary cell such as H2 and enter =AVERAGE(E2:E6).
=AVERAGE(E2:E6)Step 2: Compare the returned result with the visible source rows before using it in a report.
Checkpoint
| Formula | Verified result |
|---|---|
| =AVERAGE(E2:E6) | 184 |
Verified against the visible sample data.
Common mistakes and fixes
If the value differs, recheck the exact source range, argument order, criterion spelling and output cell.
Independent practice
Change one relevant input deliberately, predict the new result first, verify it in Sheets, then restore the original sample.
Key takeaways
- ✓Calculate the mean Amount of the five orders and return 184.
- ✓Use the exact formula rather than typing the answer manually.
- ✓AVERAGE calculates the arithmetic mean of numeric cells.
- ✓E2:E6 contains five numeric Amount values.
- ✓Blank cells and zero are not equivalent: zero is included as a numeric value, while a blank is not.
Check your understanding
Answer four questions about the practice sheet.
Continue learning
Next lesson: COUNT and COUNTA.