Coefficient of Variation Definition

The coefficient of variation is a dimensionless relative measure of dispersion that is defined as

the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean. If there are data sets that have different units

then the best way to draw a comparison between them is by using the coefficient of variation.
How to Find Coefficient of Variation?

The coefficient of variation formula is useful particularly in those cases where we need to
compare results from two different surveys having different values. In statistics, the Coefficient of
variation formula (CV), also known as relative standard deviation (RSD), is a standardized
measure of the dispersion of a probability distribution or frequency distribution. If the value of the
coefficient of variation is lower than it indicates that the data has less variability and high stability.
The general steps to find the coefficient of variation are as follows:

 Step 1: Check for the sample set.

 Step 2: Calculate standard deviation and mean.

 Step 3: Put the values in the coefficient of variation formula, CV =σμσμ × 100, μ≠0,

Now let us understand this concept with the help of a few examples.

Solution:

To Find: Which plant has greater variability.

For this, we need to find the coefficient of variation. The plant that has a higher coefficient of

variation will have greater variability.

Coefficient of variation for plant C.

Coefficient of Variation and Standard Deviation

The coefficient of variation and the standard deviation are both used when the spread of the

values in a dataset has to be measured. The main differences between the two measures are

given in the table below.