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Engineering function
ERFC
Returns the complementary error function integrated from x to infinity.
Rarely usedDifficulty 1500 · AdvancedUsage rank #489 of 520
When to use it
The complementary error function: 1 - ERF(x), integrated from x to infinity. More accurate than 1-ERF for large x.
The shape of it
- Syntax
=ERFC(x)
Worked examples
One
=ERFC(1) → 0.157299207
At 1.
Zero
=ERFC(0) → 1
At zero.
Tail
=ERFC(2) → 0.004677735
Small tails.
Worth knowing
- Normal tail probability: 0.5*ERFC(z/SQRT(2)).
- Use it instead of 1-ERF when x is large to avoid cancellation.
- ERFC.PRECISE is the higher-precision form.
Where it goes wrong
- Negative inputs returned #NUM! before Excel 2010.
- #VALUE! for text.
Related
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