I highly recommend to read through a textbook on basic statistics and/or fluctuation analysis. You will find answers to the questions looming behind this one.
Calculating data fluctuations-- also called variance -- is a multi-step process that requires total accuracy. Excel 2010 provides two basic formulas for calculating fluctuations, depending on whether your worksheet includes a sampling or entire set of data. Excel VARPS is appropriate for calculating fluctuations using a sample, while VARPA is appropriate for doing so with a complete data set.