Why do the mean, standard deviation, and line chart all change together when one cell's data is modified?

Conditions

• The mean and standard deviation are computed via formulas (e.g., AVERAGE, STDEVP) referencing the data range.
• The chart is dynamically linked to the same data range.
• The software supports real-time recalculation and chart updating.

Reasoning, step by step

1. Modify a source data cell (e.g., change G2 from 28 to 20).
2. The formula in the mean cell (N2) detects the change and recalculates.
3. The formula in the standard deviation cell (O2) detects the change and recalculates.
4. The line chart, which reads from the data range, updates its visual representation to reflect the new value.

Example

After changing G2 from 28 to 20, N2 changes from 23.48 to 22.82, and O2 changes from 5.19 to 5.08. The blue Taipei line in the chart clearly dips at month 6.

Common misconceptions

• Thinking that charts are static images that must be manually recreated after data changes.
• Believing that formulas store static values rather than dynamic references to cells.

Watch the explanation

Explore next

• How to use the AVERAGE function in Google Sheets to calculate the average of a row of data?
• Which function should be used in Google Sheets to calculate population standard deviation?