Syntax
SUMSQ(number1, [number2, ...])
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| number1 | Parameter of the SUMSQ function. |
| [number2 | (Optional.) Parameter of the SUMSQ function. |
| ...] | Parameter of the SUMSQ function. |
Examples
Vector magnitude squared
Formula
=SUMSQ(3, 4)
Returns 25 (3²+4² = 9+16). This is the squared length of a 3-4-5 right triangle's hypotenuse.
Sum of squared residuals
Formula
=SUMSQ(A2:A10)
Returns the sum of each value squared. If A2:A10 contains residuals from a regression, this gives the total squared error.
Multiple arguments
Formula
=SUMSQ(2, 5, 7)
Returns 78 (4+25+49). You can pass individual values or mix ranges and values.
Common Errors
#VALUE!
Occurs when any argument is text that cannot be converted to a number, such as =SUMSQ("abc").
#NUM!
Occurs if the result is too large for the spreadsheet to handle (extremely rare with normal data).
Tips
Use with SQRT for distance
Combine with SQRT to calculate Euclidean distance: =SQRT(SUMSQ(x2-x1, y2-y1)) gives the straight-line distance between two points.
Statistical shortcut
For variance calculations, SUMSQ of deviations from the mean is faster than squaring each value individually. Pair it with AVERAGE and COUNT.
Accepts ranges and values
You can mix cell ranges and literal numbers: =SUMSQ(A1:A5, 10) squares each cell in A1:A5 plus 10² and sums them all.
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