LARGE Function

Question:        You know how to find the largest value from a given data range by using the maximum function.  But how can one find the second largest value from a data range?

Answer:           By using the LARGE function

Why:              Returns the k-th largest value in a data set.  You can use this function to select a value based on its relative standing.  For example, you can use LARGE to return the highest, runner-up, or third-place score

Syntax: =Large(Array,K)

Array   is an array or range of numerical data for which you want to determine the k-th largest value

  is the position (from the largest) in the array or range of data to return

Applies To:       Excel 2003, 2007 and 2010

1.    To find the second largest value from the following  data range;


2.  Select cell B19 and type =Large(B2:B17,2)

3.  The answer will be $2128.00 meaning the second best sales person is Johnson A

The LARGE function can also be used as an alternative to the MAX function.

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