What function would you use to count the number of cells with numeric data in Excel?

The COUNTA function is designed to count the number of cells that are not empty within a specified range. However, COUNTA counts all non-empty cells, regardless of the type of data they contain, including text, numbers, and errors. Thus, while it's useful for counting all non-empty cells, it does not specifically focus on counting only cells that contain numeric data.

To accurately count the number of cells that contain only numeric values, the appropriate function to use would be the COUNT function. The COUNT function specifically tallies the number of cells in a range that contain numeric data only.

In this context, it seems that the correct answer should have been the COUNT function rather than COUNTA, as the question asks specifically for the count of cells that have numeric data. The other functions listed, such as COUNTIF, SUM, and AVERAGE, each have their own specific purposes: COUNTIF counts cells that meet a certain condition, SUM adds up values, and AVERAGE calculates the mean of a set of values. None of these options, including COUNTA, singling out numeric data accurately in the same way the COUNT function would.