Name: Alfaro, Janna Micaella A.

Section: BSA 2C

Activity 5: Measures of Dispersion and Shape

MEASURES OF DISPERSION (BOTH GROUPED AND UNGROUPED DATA)

INTRODUCTION
The most important use of measures of dispersion is that they help to get an
understanding of the distribution of data. As the data becomes more diverse, the value
of the measure of dispersion increases. In this article, we will learn about measures of
dispersion, their types along with examples as well as various important aspects
related to these measures.
Measures of dispersion are non-negative real numbers that help to gauge the
spread of data about a central value. These measures help to determine how stretched
or squeezed the given data is. There are five most commonly used measures of
dispersion. These are
Range
Variance
standard deviation
mean deviation, and
quartile deviation.

DEFINITION

What is Measures of Dispersion in Statistics?

Measures of Dispersion is a measure of a variability of a set of data is a number
that conveys the idea of spread for the data set.
Measures of dispersion help to describe the variability in data. Dispersion is a
statistical term that can be used to describe the extent to which data is scattered. Thus,
measures of dispersion are certain types of measures that are used to quantify the
dispersion of data.
Measures of dispersion can be defined as positive real numbers that measure how
homogeneous or heterogeneous the given data is. The value of a measure of
dispersion will be 0 if the data points in a data set are the same. However, as the
variability of the data increases the value of the measures of dispersion also increases.

TYPES OF MEASURES OF DISPERSION

The measures of dispersion can be classified into two broad categories. These are
absolute measures of dispersion and relative measures of dispersion. Range,
variance, standard deviation and mean deviation fall under the category of absolute
measures of deviation. These measures have the same unit as the data that is being
scrutinized. Coefficients of dispersion are relative measures of deviation. Such
dispersion measures are always dimensionless. The upcoming sections will further
elaborate on these measures.
 MEASURES OF DISPERSION

Absolute Measures Relative Measures

Range Coefficient of Range

Variance Coefficient of
Variation

Standard Deviation Coefficient of Mean

Deviation
Mean Deviation
Coefficient of
Quartile Deviation
Quartile Deviation

1. ABSOLUTE MEASURES OF DISPERSION

If the dispersion of data within an experiment has to be determined then absolute
measures of dispersion should be used. These measures usually express variations in
a data set with respect to the average of the deviations of the observations. The most
commonly used absolute measures of deviation are listed below.
Range: the range measures the distance between the largest and the smallest
values and as such, gives idea of the spread of the data set.
Variance: The average squared deviation from the mean of the given data set is
known as the variance. This measure of dispersion checks the spread of the data
about the mean.
Standard Deviation: The square root of the variance gives the standard deviation.
Thus, the standard deviation also measures the variation of the data about the
mean.
Mean Deviation: The mean deviation gives the average of the data's absolute
deviation about the central points. These central points could be the mean, median,
or mode.
Quartile Deviation: Quartile deviation can be defined as half of the difference
between the third quartile and the first quartile in a given data set.

2. RELATIVE MEASURES OF DISPERSION

If the data of separate data sets have different units and need to be compared the
relative measures of dispersion are used. The measures are expressed in the form of
ratios and percentages thus, making them unitless. Some of the relative measures of
dispersion are given below:
Coefficient of Range: It is the ratio of the difference between the highest and lowest
value in a data set to the sum of the highest and lowest value.
Coefficient of Variation: It is the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean of the
data set. It is expressed in the form of a percentage.
Coefficient of Mean Deviation: This can be defined as the ratio of the mean
deviation to the value of the central point from which it is calculated.
Coefficient of Quartile Deviation: It is the ratio of the difference between the third
quartile and the first quartile to the sum of the third and first quartiles.
FORMULAS
Measures of dispersion are used when we want to find the scattering of data about
a central point such as the mean. The general formulas used to calculate the various
measures of dispersion are given in the tables below:

ABSOLUTE MEASURES OF DISPERSION

RANGE VARIANCE
Range = Highest value - Lowest value Population Variance:

STANDARD DEVIATION
Population Deviation:
Sample Variance:

Sample Deviation:

MEAN DEVIATION

QUARTILE DEVIATION

RELATIVE MEASURES OF DISPERSION

COEFFICIENT OF RANGE COEFFICIENT OF VARATION

COEFFICIENT OF MEAN DEVIATION COEFFICIENT OF QUARTILE

DEVIATION
 EXAMPLE OF MEASURES OF DISPERSION (UNGROUPED DATA)

1. Find the range of the ages of 9 middle management employees of a certain

company. The ages are 53, 45, 59, 48, 54, 46, 51, 58 and 55.
Solution:
Given: HV = 59 Answer: R = 59 - 45
LV = 45 R = 14

2. Find the Variance and Standard Deviation of the following numbers that obtained by
sampling a population.
2, 4, 7, 12, 15

MEAN

VARIANCE
MEAN

STANDARD
DEVIATION
EXAMPLE OF MEASURES OF DISPERSION (GROUPED DATA)
Find the range, standard deviation and variance of the scores of 40 students in a
60-point quiz.
SCORES FREQUENCY LB UB
53 - 58 3 52.5 58.5
47 - 52 4 46.5 52.5 Range = Highest Class Boundaries
- Lowest Class Boundaries
41 - 46 1 40.5 46.5
35 - 40 2 34.5 40.5 Range = 58.5 - 4.5
Range = 54
29 - 34 10 28.5 34.5
23 - 28 11 22.5 28.5
17 - 22 4 16.5 22.5
11 - 16 3 10.5 16.5
5 - 10 2 4.5 10.5

CLASS
SCORES FREQUENCY
(f) MARK (x) fx (x - x̅ )^2 f(x - x̅ )^2

53 - 58 3 55.5 166.5 635.04 1905.12

47 - 52 4 49.5 198 368.64 1474.56
41 - 46 1 43.5 43.5 174.24 174.24
35 - 40 2 37.5 75 51.84 103.68
29 - 34 10 31.5 315 1.44 14.4
23 - 28 11 25.5 280.5 23.04 253.44
17 - 22 4 19.5 78 116.64 466.56
11 - 16 3 13.5 40.5 282.24 846.72
5 - 10 2 7.5 15 519.84 1039.68
N = 40 Σfx = 1212 Σf(x - x̅ )^2 = 6278.4

Mean = Σfx VARIANCE STANDARD DEVIATION

N
Mean = 1212
= 6278.4 = √ 160.98
40
40-1
Mean = 30.3 = 12.69
= 6278.4
36
= 160.98
 MEASURES OF SHAPES

INTRODUCTION
Measures of Shape as a descriptive statistics provide us ways to understand how
the data points in a dataset are distributed and help us in understanding patterns that
may be hidden and may be understood after the data is presented on a graph This
blog investigates data and the numerous shapes that it might take. It is vital to highlight
that only some types of data may be explained, such as quantitative data that follows a
logical sequence and has some form of 'weight,' but qualitative data cannot be utilized
since its values lack any 'weight.'

DEFINITION

What is a measure of shape?

Measures of shape describe the distribution (or pattern) of the data within a
dataset.
The distribution shape of quantitative data can be described as there is a
logical order to the values, and the 'low' and 'high' end values on the x-axis
of the histogram are able to be identified.
What are the shapes of a dataset?
A distribution of data item values may be symmetrical or asymmetrical. Two
common examples of symmetry and asymmetry are the 'normal distribution'
and the 'skewed distribution'.
In a symmetrical distribution the two sides of the distribution are a mirror
image of each other.
A normal distribution is a true symmetric distribution of observed values.
When a histogram is constructed on values that are normally distributed, the
shape of columns form a symmetrical bell shape. This is why this
distribution is also known as a 'normal curve' or 'bell curve'.

TYPES OF MEASURES OF SHAPE

The histogram can give you a general idea of the shape, but two numerical
measures of shape give a more precise evaluation: symmetric distribution,
asymmetric distribution and other distribution like kurtosis.

1. SYMMETRIC DISTRIBUTION
A Distribution can be called Symmetrical when the two sides of the distribution are
a mirror images of each other, so if you separate the distribution from the mean, what
you see on the left side of the distribution is exactly what you see on the right side of
the distribution.

U-Shaped Distribution Rectangular Distribution

NORMAL DISTRIBUTION
A Normal Distribution is a kind of a Symmetric Distribution where the mean, median
and mode coincide with each other.

2. ASYMMETRIC DISTRIBUTION
If the collected sample data is systematically biased and includes data points that
have certain particular characteristics then this causes the distribution to become
asymmetrical. In Asymmetric Distribution, the two sides do not mirror each other.

SKEWED DISTRIBUTION
Skew is a characteristic often used to describe the distribution of values and in
Asymmetric Distributions, the distribution can be skewed either Positively or Negatively
and this happens when the more frequent values get cluttered around the high or low
ends of the x-axis. Such a shape is one of the most common shapes when a
distribution deviates from the normal distribution. In such a situation, the mean,
median and mode do not coincide with each other. The easiest way of identifying
whether a distribution is skewed or not is to construct a histogram and look at the
shape of the distribution. If it is skewed then it can either be a Positively or can be a
Negatively Skewed Distribution.

POSITIVELY SKEWED DISTRIBUTION

A distribution becomes Positively Skewed when the mean of the distribution is
higher than the median and most of the scores occur at the lower end of the
distribution while few scores are at the higher end. Any Probabilities based on such a
distribution will underestimate the actual number of scores at the lower end of this
skewed distribution while overestimating the number of scores at the higher end of the
distribution. If we plot such a distribution on a histogram then the tail on the right side
of the histogram is longer than the left side with the mean being on the right and
median on the left and is the reason that Negatively Skewed Distribution is also known
as Right Skewed Distribution. Therefore the distribution is Positively Skewed when the
mean is greater than the median (making mean to be on the right of median), few
scores are at the low end creating an elongated tail at the higher end of the distribution.
 NEGATIVELY SKEWED DISTRIBUTION
A distribution is Negatively Skewed when the median of the distribution is higher
than the mean and most of the scores occur at the higher end of the distribution while
few scores are at the lower end. Any Probabilities based on such a distribution will
overestimate the actual number of scores at the lower end of this skewed distribution
while underestimating the number of scores at the higher end of the distribution. If we
plot such a distribution on a histogram then the tail on the left side of the histogram is
longer than the right side with the mean being on the left and median on the right and
is the reason that Positively Skewed Distribution is also known as Left Skewed
Distribution. Therefore the distribution is Negatively Skewed when the mean is smaller
than the median (making mean to be on the left of median), few scores at the high end
creating an elongated tail at the lower end of the distribution.

3. OTHER DISTRIBUTION

KURTOSIS
Like skewness, Kurtosis is a
descriptor of shape and it describes the
shape of the of the distribution in terms
of height or flatness. Some of the types
of Kurtosis are Leptokurtic, Platykurtic
and Mesokurtic.

LEPTOKURTIC
When there is a positive excess of kurtosis, the shape of the distribution is called
Leptokurtic. To understand this in terms of shape, it has fatter tails and if compared to
a normal distribution it has a similar peak (to be precise, such a distribution has higher
peak than what is found in a normal bell-shaped distribution and significantly higher if
compared to a Platykurtic distribution) and has values clustered around the centre
(mean).
 PLATYKURTIC
When there is a negative excess of kurtosis, the shape of the distribution is called
Platykurtic.
The data points are highly dispersed along the X-axis that results in thinner tails
when compared to a normal distribution and has very few values clustered around the
centre (mean). Such a distribution will have little central tendency.

MESOKURTIC
This is when the distribution is normal. Here the tails of the distribution are neither
too thin nor they are too thick and also the scores are equally divided with scores
neither being clustered around the center nor being too scattered.

FORMULAS

SKEWNESS SKEWNESS

KURTOSIS KURTOSIS

EXAMPLE OF MEASURES OF SHAPE (SKEWNESS)

Pearson’s median skewness of the number of sunspots observed per year:
Mean = 48.6
Median = 39
Standard deviation = 39.5

= 3(48.6 - 39)
39.5
Skewness = 0.73
EXAMPLE OF MEASURES OF SHAPE (SKEWNESS AND KURTOSIS)

2. Suppose we have the following observations:

12 13 54 56 25
Determine the skewness of the data.

MEAN VARIANCE
X = (12+13+54+56+25) S2 = (12–32)^2+(13–32)^2+(54–32)^2+(56–32)^2+(25–32)^2
5 4
X = 160 S2 = 467.5
5
X = 32 STANDARD DEVIATION
s = √467.5
SKEWNESS s = 21.62

KURTOSIS

Skewness is positive.
Hence, the data has a
positively skewed
distribution.
we subtract 3 from the sample kurtosis and get
the excess kurtosis.
excess kurtosis=0.7861–3=−2.2139
Since the excess kurtosis is negative, we have a
platykurtic distribution.
REFERRENCES:

DataVedas. (2018, January 5). MEASURES OF SHAPE.

https://www.datavedas.com/measures-of-shape/

Kurtosis and Skewness Example Question | CFA Level I. (n.d.). AnalystPrep. Retrieved
October 8, 2022, from https://analystprep.com/cfa-level-1-exam/quantitative-
methods/kurtosis-and-skewness-types-of-distributions/

Math, W. (Executive Producer). (2020). MEASURES OF DISPERSION || MATHEMATICS IN

THE MODERN WORLD [TV series]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=JgvjMYLR_Ns

Math, W. (Executive Producer). (2020). MEASURES OF VARIATION: RANGE, VARIANCE

AND STANDARD DEVIATION FOR GROUPED DATA [TV series]. Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfeRTKDFTM4&t=138s

Measures of Dispersion - Definition, Formulas, Examples. (n.d.). Cuemath. Retrieved

October 5, 2022, from https://www.cuemath.com/data/measures-of-dispersion/

Statistical Language - Measures of Shape. (n.d.). Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Retrieved October 5, 2022, from
https://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3310114.nsf/home/statistical+language+-
+measures+of+shape

Turney, S. (2022, May 10). Skewness | Definition, Examples & Formula. Scribbr.
Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://www.scribbr.com/statistics/skewness/

Turney, S. (2022, June 27). What Is Kurtosis? | Definition, Examples & Formula. Scribbr.
Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://www.scribbr.com/statistics/kurtosis/