Measures of the Spread of the Data Quiz

PDF page 118: An important characteristic of any set of data is the variation in the data. In some data sets, the data values are concentrated closely near the mean; in other data sets, the data values are more widely spread out from the mean. The most common measure of variation, or spread, is the standard deviation. The standard deviation is a number that measures how far data values are from their mean.

PDF page 118: The standard deviation provides a measure of the overall variation in a data set The standard deviation is always positive or zero. The standard deviation is small when the data are all concentrated close to the mean, exhibiting little variation or spread. The standard deviation is larger when the data values are more spread out from the mean, exhibiting more variation. Suppose that we are studying the amount of time customers wait in line at the checkout at supermarket A and supermarket

PDF page 118: The standard deviation provides a measure of the overall variation in a data set The standard deviation is always positive or zero. The standard deviation is small when the data are all concentrated close to the mean, exhibiting little variation or spread. The standard deviation is larger when the data values are more spread out from the mean, exhibiting more variation. Suppose that we are studying the amount of time customers wait in line at the checkout at supermarket A and supermarket

PDF page 118: two minutes; at supermarket B the standard deviation for the wait time is four minutes. Because supermarket B has a higher standard deviation, we know that there is more variation in the wait times at supermarket B. Overall, wait times at supermarket B are more spread out from the average; wait times at supermarket A are more concentrated near the average. The standard deviation can be used to determine whether a data value is close to or far from the mean. Suppose that Rosa and Binh both shop at supermarket A. Rosa waits at the checkout counter for seven minutes and Binh waits for one minute. At supermarket A, the mean waiting time is five minutes and the standard deviation is two minutes. The standard deviation can be used to determine whether a data value is close to or far from the mean. Rosa waits for seven minutes:

PDF page 118: • Rosa's wait time of seven minutes is one standard deviation above the average of five minutes.

PDF page 118: • Binh's wait time of one minute is two standard deviations below the average of five minutes.

PDF page 118: • A data value that is two standard deviations from the average is just on the borderline for what many statisticians

PDF page 118: would consider to be far from the average. Considering data to be far from the mean if it is more than two standard deviations away is more of an approximate "rule of thumb" than a rigid rule. In general, the shape of the distribution of the data affects how much of the data is further away than two standard deviations. (You will learn more about this in later chapters.) The number line may help you understand standard deviation. If we were to put five and seven on a number line, seven is to the right of five. We say, then, that seven is one standard deviation to the right of five because 5 + (1)(2) = 7. If one were also part of the data set, then one is two standard deviations to the left of five because 5 + (–2)(2) = 1.

PDF page 119: The lower case letter s represents the sample standard deviation and the Greek letter σ (sigma, lower case) represents the population standard deviation.

PDF page 119: ̄ The symbol x is the sample mean and the Greek symbol μ is the population mean. Calculating the Standard Deviation If x is a number, then the difference "x – mean" is called its deviation. In a data set, there are as many deviations as there are items in the data set. The deviations are used to calculate the standard deviation. If the numbers belong to a population, ̄ in symbols a deviation is x – μ. For sample data, in symbols a deviation is x – x . The procedure to calculate the standard deviation depends on whether the numbers are the entire population or are data from a sample. The calculations are similar, but not identical. Therefore the symbol used to represent the standard deviation depends on whether it is calculated from a population or a sample. The lower case letter s represents the sample standard deviation and the Greek letter σ (sigma, lower case) represents the population standard deviation. If the sample has the same characteristics as the population, then s should be a good estimate of σ. To calculate the standard deviation, we need to calculate the variance first. The variance is the average of the squares of ̄

PDF page 121: Explanation of the standard deviation calculation shown in the table The deviations show how spread out the data are about the mean. The data value 11.5 is farther from the mean than is the data value 11 which is indicated by the deviations 0.97 and 0.47. A positive deviation occurs when the data value is greater than the mean, whereas a negative deviation occurs when the data value is less than the mean. The deviation is –1.525 for the data value nine. If you add the deviations, the sum is always zero. (For Example 2.32, there are n = 20 deviations.) So you cannot simply add the deviations to get the spread of the data. By squaring the deviations, you make them positive numbers, and the sum will also be positive. The variance, then, is the average squared deviation. The variance is a squared measure and does not have the same units as the data. Taking the square root solves the problem. The standard deviation measures the spread in the same units as the data.

PDF page 121: Explanation of the standard deviation calculation shown in the table The deviations show how spread out the data are about the mean. The data value 11.5 is farther from the mean than is the data value 11 which is indicated by the deviations 0.97 and 0.47. A positive deviation occurs when the data value is greater than the mean, whereas a negative deviation occurs when the data value is less than the mean. The deviation is –1.525 for the data value nine. If you add the deviations, the sum is always zero. (For Example 2.32, there are n = 20 deviations.) So you cannot simply add the deviations to get the spread of the data. By squaring the deviations, you make them positive numbers, and the sum will also be positive. The variance, then, is the average squared deviation. The variance is a squared measure and does not have the same units as the data. Taking the square root solves the problem. The standard deviation measures the spread in the same units as the data.

PDF page 120: s = 0.5125 = 0.715891, which is rounded to two decimal places, s = 0.72.