Student: CORRAL, JOHN ZANDER B.
Section: BSMARE-1C
Teacher: DR. CYNTHIA OSORIO BEA
Subject: NGEC 4 (Mathematics in the modern world)
Topic:Measure of Variability (Range,Variance,standard deviation)
Measure of Variability quantify the spread or dispersion within a data set, indicating how much
the data points differ from each other and from the central tendency (like the mean or median).
These measures are essential for understanding the distribution and reliability of data.
Range- The range is the simplest measure of variability that indicates the total spread of a data
set. It shows the difference between the largest and smallest values, providing a quick sense of
how spread out the data points are.
Definition and Formula
● The range is calculated as:
Range=Maximum value−Minimum value
● It measures the extent of variation by capturing the full distance between the extremes.
Characteristics of Range
● Easy to calculate and understand.
● Sensitive to outliers: A single extremely high or low value can greatly affect the range.
● Does not provide information about the distribution or clustering of data within the range.
● Useful for a quick, rough estimate of variability in small data sets.
Example
Consider the data set: 4, 7, 9, 15, 18
● Maximum value = 18
● Minimum value = 4
Range = 18 − 4 = 14
This means the data spans 14 units from the smallest to the largest observation.
Variance-Variance is a fundamental measure of variability that quantifies how much the data
points in a set differ from the mean on average. It provides insight into the overall spread by
considering the squared deviations of each value from the mean.
Definition and Formula
● Variance is the average of the squared differences between each data point and the
mean:
Key Characteristics
● Units: Variance is expressed in squared units of the original data (e.g., if data are in
meters, variance is in meters squared), which can make interpretation less intuitive.
● Sensitivity: It is sensitive to outliers because squaring deviations amplifies large
differences.
Foundation for other statistics: Variance is the basis for the standard deviation (its square root)
and is widely used in statistical inference, hypothesis testing, and modeling.
Standard deviation-Standard deviation is a widely used measure of variability that indicates
how much the values in a data set typically deviate from the mean. It is the square root of the
variance, which makes its units the same as the original data, allowing for easier interpretation.
Definition and Formula
Key Characteristics
● Units: Same as the original data, making it more interpretable than variance.
● Interpretation: Represents the average distance of data points from the mean.
● Sensitivity: Like variance, it is sensitive to outliers because it depends on squared
deviations.
● Use: Commonly used in descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and probability theory.
Example Calculation