Today I am asking you a tricky formula question. This is asked by Ionel on the Introduction to VLOOKUP, OFFSET & MATCH Formulas post.
The question is,
I have data in three columns: A,B,C and I want to get the average of the closest two values out of three in each row. Could you help me with a formula for this?
Now, how would you go about it?
What does closest of two mean?
We can assume that close-ness is nothing but distance between 2 numbers on numeric scale. So 3 is closer to 2 and 4 compared to 1 or 5.
Your challenge:
Assuming your data is in A2:C10, what formula will you write in D2:D10 to solve this?
Go ahead and get some coffee and get thinking.
Want to cop-out?
I have posted one solution in the next comment. You can see how I went about solving it.

















6 Responses to “A quick personal update”
Thank you for the personal update. It was quite encouraging and a breath of fresh air in my Inbox. Take care and stay safe.
David
Doctors advise:
Virus obstructs lungs with thick mucus that solidifies.
Consume lot hot liquids like tea, soup, and sip of hot liquid every 20 min
Gargle w antiseptic of lemon, vinegar, & hot water daily
It attaches to hair/clothes detergent kills it, when come from st go straight shower
Hang dirty clothes in sunlight/cold overnight or wash immediately.
Wash metal surfaces as it can live on them 9 days
Do not touch hand rails
Do not smoke
Wash hands foaming 20 sec every 20 min
Eat fruit/veg and up zinc levels.
Animals do not spread it
Avoid common flu
Avoid eat/drink cold things
If feel sore throat do above immediate as virus is there 3-4 days before descends into lungs
Would love help with my database mgt in excel.
Thanks for being thoughtful of us.
BTW How do you track your expenses/income in excel? Can you share the worksheet please.
Stay safe you and your family, best wishes.
Thanks for the update and happy to know that you and family are doing good. A 21 day lockdown has now been announced in India (I live around Kolkata) so it's uncertain times ahead. I check up on your wonderful articles often and will do so even more regularly now. Stay safe and God bless.
Hi from Argentina, I follow you for a lot of years now. We here are in a quarantine for 2 or 3 weeks, because the pandemia.
Excel is also my passion and I came here looking for a Num2Words formula, but in spanish. If anyone have it, please let me know.
Best regards.
Pablo Molina
La Rioja - Argentina
I'm glad to have your personal update. I'm from India & following you for so many years. Cheers to have any further personal update.