The MIN and MAX Functions (the Smallest and Largest Value

This article provides a clear overview of The MIN and MAX Functions (the Smallest and Largest Value, with the main facts, useful context, and practical details organized for easy reading.

The article describes the syntax and usage of the maximum value (MAX) function and the minimum value (MIN) function.

Description

The Min function returns the smallest value, the Max function returns the maximum value of the input arguments (ranges of cells, numbers, references to numbers, etc.).

Syntax

Min function: = Min (number1, number2.)

Max function: = Max (number1, number2.)

Arguments

number1, number2. are input parameters that can be numbers, names, ranges of cells or reference values. Maximum 256 input parameters.

Note

- If the argument list does not contain numbers, the Min and Max functions return a value of 0.

- If the argument is an array or reference, only numbers in that array or reference are used. And empty cells, logical values, or text are ignored.

- Arguments that are text or error values that are not converted into numbers are error functions.

- The logical values and text numbers that you enter directly in the argument list will be calculated.

For Example

Find the maximum value, the minimum value in the following two series of numbers:

First find the minimum value for the number range from B7 to B15. You apply the MIN function:

= MIN (B7: B15)

and get the following result:

Next find the maximum value for cells C7 through C15, applying the MAX formula:

= MAX (C7: C15)

Results returned after applying the MAX formula:

Thus, the article has syntax instructions and how to use the MIN and MAX functions. Hopefully after this article, you can apply these two functions in the process of processing and statistical data with Excel. Good luck!