Lesson in Statistics

January 15, 2024

Variance and Standard Variation of Ungrouped
Data
The standard deviation is derived from variance
and tells you, on average, how far each value lies
from the mean. It’s the square root of variance.

Standard deviation is expressed in the same units as the

original values (e.g., meters).
• The variance is a measure of variability. It is calculated
by taking the average of squared deviations from the
mean.

• Variance tells you the degree of spread in your data

set. The more spread the data, the larger the variance
is in relation to the mean.
• Steps for Calculating the Standard Deviation
1. Calculate the mean.
2. Determine the deviations.
3. Squared the deviations.
4. Add all the squared deviations.
5. Divide the sum by n – 1.
6. Take the square root of the variance.
n = number of observations
Example: Find the variance and standard
deviation for the given data set.
Find the variance and standard deviation:
Study the following data: