Microsoft Excel has ten major statistical formulas, such as sample size, mean, median, standard deviation, maximum and minimum. The sample size is the number of observations in a data set, for example if a polling company polls 500 people, then the sample size of the data is 500. After entering the data set in Excel, the =COUNT formula will calculate the sample size. Sample size is useful for calculations such as standard error and confidence levels. Using Microsoft Excel will allow a user to quickly calculate statistical formulas since statistical formulas tend to be longer and complex than other mathematical formulas.
Step 1
Enter the observation data in Excel, one observation in each cell. For example, enter data in cells A1 through A24. This will provide a vertical column of data in column A.
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Step 2
Type "=COUNT(" in cell B1.
Step 3
Highlight the cell range of the data or type the cell range of the data after the "(" entered in Step 2 in cell B1, then end the formula with a ")". The cell range is any cells that have data in the cell. In this example, the cell range is A1 through A24. The formula in the example then is "=COUNT(A1:A24)"
Step 4
Press "Enter" and the sample size will appear in the cell with the formula. In our example, cell B1 will display 24, since the sample size will be 24.