Measures of
Dispersion
BY SIR ABDUL MASAWER BARIKZAI
1
Definition
Measures of dispersion are descriptive statistics that describe how
similar a set of scores are to each other
◦ The more similar the scores are to each other, the lower the measure of
dispersion will be
◦ The less similar the scores are to each other, the higher the measure of
dispersion will be
◦ In general, the more spread out a distribution is, the larger the measure of
dispersion will be
2
Measures of Dispersion
There are three main measures of
dispersion:
◦ The range
◦ The semi-interquartile range (SIR)
◦ Variance / standard deviation
3
The Range
The range is defined as the difference between the largest score in the
set of data and the smallest score in the set of data, XL - XS
What is the range of the following data:
4 8 1 6 6 2 9 3 6 9
The largest score (XL) is 9; the smallest score (XS) is 1; the range is XL - XS
=9-1=8
4
When To Use the
Range
The range is used when
◦ you have ordinal data or
◦ you are presenting your results to people with little or no knowledge
of statistics
The range is rarely used in scientific work as it is fairly insensitive
◦ It depends on only two scores in the set of data, XL and XS
◦ Two very different sets of data can have the same range:
1 1 1 1 9 vs 1 3 5 7 9
5
The Semi-Interquartile
Range
The semi-interquartile range (or SIR) is defined as the difference of the
first and third quartiles divided by two
◦ The first quartile is the 25th percentile
◦ The third quartile is the 75th percentile
SIR = (Q3 - Q1) / 2
6
SIR Example
•What is the SIR for the data 2
to the right? 4
6 = 25th %tile
•25 % of the scores are 6
below 6 8
• 6 is the first quartile 10
12
•25 % of the scores are 14
above 20 20
• 20 is the third quartile 20= 75th %tile
30
•SIR = (Q3 - Q1) / 2 = (20 - 6) / 60
2=7
7
Co efficient of quartile
deviation
CQD= Q3-Q1/Q3+Q1 Example:
CQD is always between zero and Q1= 10
one
Q2=50
CQD=0.67 High spread
8
Variance
Variance is defined as the average of the square deviations:
2 X 2
N
9
Computational Formula
Example
X- (X-)2
2
X X
9 81 2 4
8 64 1 1
6 36 -1 1
5 25 -2 4
8 64 1 1
6 36 -1 1
= 42 = 306 =0 = 12
10
Standard Deviation
Standard deviation = variance
Variance = standard deviation2
11
Measure of Skew
Skew is a measure of symmetry in the distribution of scores
Positive Negative Skew
Skew
12
Introduction to
Skewness
Skewness is a statistical measure used to describe the asymmetry of a
distribution.
It tells us whether the data is evenly distributed or lopsided towards
one side.
Types of Skewness
1. Symmetrical Distribution:
- Mean = Median = Mode
- Example: Normal Distribution
2. Positively Skewed (Right Skewed):
Mean > Median > Mode
Tail on the right side is longer
3. Negatively Skewed (Left Skewed):
- Mean < Median < Mode
Tail on the left side is longer
Formula for Measuring
Skewness
Formula 1: Pearson’s First Coefficient of Skewness
Skewness = (Mean - Mode) / Standard Deviation
Formula 2: Alternative (if Mode is unknown)
Skewness = 3(Mean - Median) / Standard Deviation
Explanation: This formula helps in quantifying the degree of
asymmetry in the data.
Interpreting Skewness
Skewness = 0: The data is symmetrical.
Skewness > 0: The data is positively skewed (right-skewed).
Skewness < 0: The data is negatively skewed (left-skewed).
Examples of Skewness
1. Symmetrical Distribution Example: [Example Data: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
2. Positively Skewed Example: [Example Data: 2, 3, 4, 5, 12]
3. Negatively Skewed Example: [Example Data: 1, 8, 9, 10, 11]
Conclusion
Skewness is an important concept to understand in statistics.
It helps in interpreting the distribution of data and can influence
decision-making in various fields.