PHI Function

Returns the value of the density function for a standard normal distribution for a supplied number

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What is the PHI Function?

The PHI Function[1] is an Excel Statistical function. It will return the value of the density function for a standard normal distribution for a supplied number. The function was introduced in MS Excel 2013 and hence unavailable in earlier versions.

Formula

=PHI(x)

The PHI function uses the following argument:

  1. X (required argument) – This is the number for which we want the density of the standard normal distribution.

How to use PHI Function in Excel?

To understand the uses of the function, let’s consider a few examples:

Example 1

Suppose we want to find the value of the density function for a standard normal distribution. The formula to use is =PHI(0.5).

We get the result below:

PHI Function

Example 2

The worksheet below shows the Excel PHI function, which is used to evaluate the function for four different values of x.

PHI Function - Example

We can prepare a normal distribution chart based on the results obtained from the function.

Things to remember about the PHI Function 

  1. #VALUE! error – Occurs when x uses a data type that is not valid, such as a non-numeric value.
  2. #NUM! error – Occurs when x is a numeric value that is not valid.

Click here to download the sample Excel file

Additional Resources

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Article Sources

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