The Excel ERFC Function

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Related Functions:

ERF

ERFC.PRECISE

Complementary Error Function

The Complementary Error Function is equal to 1 - ERF (i.e. 1 - Error Function), and is given by the equation :

Further information can be found on the Wikipedia Error Function page

Basic Description

The Excel ERFC function calculates the Complementary Error Function, integrated between a supplied lower limit and infinity.

The format of the function is:

ERFC( x )

where x is the lower limit of the integral.

Improvements in Excel 2010

The Erfc function has been improved in Excel 2010 in that it can now accept negative function arguments.

In Excel 2007 or earlier, if you input a negative value for the argument, x, the function would return an error. However, in Excel 2010, the function algorithm has been improved, so that it can now calculate the function for both positive and negative x values.

Examples

The spreadsheet below shows examples of the Excel Erfc function being used to calculate the Complementary Error Function integral for different lower limits.

The formulas are shown in the spreadsheet on the left and the results are shown in the spreadsheet on the right.

Formulas:

Examples of use of the Excel Erfc Function

Results:

Further examples of the Excel Erfc function can be found on the Microsoft Office website.

Trouble Shooting

If you get an error from the Excel Erfc function this is likely to be one of the following :

Common Errors

#NUM!

Occurs in Excel 2007 or earlier, if the supplied value of x is negative

#VALUE!

Occurs the supplied x is non-numeric

#NAME?

Occurs when Analysis ToolPak add-in is not enabled in your Excel.
You will need to enable the add-in if you want to use the Excel engineering functions.

To do this in Excel 2003 :

From the Tools drop-down menu, select the option Add-Ins ...
An 'Add-Ins' window will pop up. From this, select the option Analysis ToolPak and click OK

To do this in Excel 2007 :

Click the Microsoft button on the top left of your spreadsheet and select the Excel Options button
From the menu on the left hand side, select Add-Ins
In the 'Manage:' box, select Excel Add-ins and click Go...
An 'Add-Ins' window will pop up. From this, select the option Analysis ToolPak and click OK

To do this in Excel 2010 :

Click the File tab (top left of your spreadsheet) and select Options
From the menu on the left hand side, select Add-Ins
If the window that pops up doesn't show the 'Add-ins' list, use the 'Manage:' drop-down menu (at the bottom of the window) to select Excel Add-ins. Click Go...
From the 'Add-Ins' window, select the option Analysis ToolPak and click OK

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