Measures of Variation

Measures of Variation
The Measures of Variability

 A measure of variability is a descriptive statistic of
the amount of differences of in a set data for a
variable.
Variability refers to how spread scores are in a
distribution out; that is, it refers to the amount of
spread of the scores around the mean.
For example, distributions with the same mean can
have different amounts of variability or dispersion.
 The purpose of measures of variability is to

numerically represent a set of data based on how
the scores differ or vary from each other.
 It also known dispersion or spread which denote

the width of the distribution.
There are four frequently used measures of the variability
of a distribution:
• Range
• Average Deviation
• Variance
• Standard deviation.
The Range
Range for Ungrouped Data
The most basic measure of variation is the range,
which is the distance from the smallest to the
largest value in a distribution.

Range= Largest value – Smallest Value

Example 1:
Test scores of 10, 8, 9, 7, 5, and 3.
It will give us a range of 7 from 10 – 3 = 7.
The Range for Ungrouped Data
Example 2:
Let us consider this situation.
The following are the daily wages of 8 factory workers of
two garment factories. Factory A and Factory B.
Factory A: 400, 450, 520, 380, 482, 495, 575, 450.
Factory B: 450, 400, 450, 480, 450, 450, 400, 672
Find the range of salaries in peso (Php).
Workers of both factories have mean wage = 469

Example 2:
Factory A: 400, 450, 520, 380, 482, 495, 575, 450.
Factory B: 450, 400, 450, 480, 450, 450, 400, 672
To find the range of wages:

Range = Highest wage – Lowest wage
Range for Factory A = 575 – 380 = 195

Range for Factory B = 672 – 350 = 322
Example 2:
Range for Factory A = 575 – 380 = 195
Range for Factory B = 672 – 350 = 322

Comparing the two wages,
The wages of workers of factory B have a higher range than wages
of workers of factory A.
These ranges tell us that the wages of workers of factory B are

more scattered than the wages of workers of factory A.
The Average Deviation
Average Deviation for Ungrouped Data

The dispersion of a set of data about the average of these data is
the average deviation or mean deviation. To compute the average
deviation of an ungrouped data, we use the formula:
where ; A.D. is the average deviation,

x is the individual score;
is the mean; and
N is the number of scores.
is the absolute value of the deviation from the mean.
Procedure in computing the average deviation:
1. Find the mean for all the cases.

2. Find the absolute difference between
each score and the mean.
3. Find the sum of the difference and divide by N.

Example 3:
Find the average deviation of the following data: 12, 17, 13, 18,
18, 15, 14, 17, 11

1. Find the mean for all the cases.
Example 3:
2.Find the absolute difference between each score and the
mean.
Example 3:

3. Find the sum of the absolute difference Σ|x-|.
then solve for the average deviation by dividing the result in
by N.
Standard Deviation
Standard Deviation for Ungrouped Data
 The standard deviation is the average amount by which scores differ from
the mean.
 The standard deviation is the square root of the variance, and it is a useful
measure of variability when the distribution is normal or approximately
normal.
 The proportion of the distribution within a given number of standard
deviations (or distance) from the mean can be calculated.
 A small standard deviation coefficient indicates a small degree of
variability (that is, scores are close together); larger standard deviation
coefficients indicate large variability (that is, scores are far apart).
Standard Deviation

To compute for the standard deviation of an ungrouped data, we
use the formula:
Where; SD is the standard deviation;

x is the individual score;
is the mean; and
N is the number of scores.
Standard Deviation

Example 4:
Compute the standard deviation of the set of test scores: {39, 10,
24, 16, 19, 26, 29, 30, 5}.
a. Find the mean.
Mean
Standard Deviation
Example 4:
Compute the standard deviation of the set of test scores:
{39, 10, 24, 16, 19, 26, 29, 30, 5}.

a. Find the mean.
b. Find the deviation from
the mean .
c. Square the deviations
d. Add all the squared
deviations.
Standard Deviation

Example 4:
{39, 10, 24, 16, 19, 26, 29, 30, 5}.
Lastly, to compute the standard deviation (SD) using the formula
=
S.D. = 10
The Variance
Variance for Ungrouped Data

The variance () of a data is equal to 1/N. The sum
of their squares minus the square of their mean.
It is virtually the square of the standard deviation.
The Variance
The variance is the average squared difference of the scores from
the mean.
To compute the variance in a population:
1. Calculate the mean
2. Subtract the mean from each score to compute the
deviation from mean score
3. Square each deviation score (multiply each score by itself)
4. Add up the squared deviation score to give the sum
5. Divide the sum by the number of scores
The Variance

Example 5:
{39, 10, 24, 16, 19, 26, 29, 30, 5}.
Since we already get the value of the standard deviation from
example 4.
Measures of Variation for Grouped Data
Range for Grouped Data
The range is the simplest measure of variability. The range of a

frequency distribution is simply the difference between the
upper class boundary of the top interval and the lower class
boundary of the bottom interval.
Range =Upper Class Boundary – Lower Class Boundary of

the Highest Interval of the Lowest Interval
Example 6: Solve for range.
Scores in Second Periodical Test of I – Faith in Mathematics
Scores Frequency
46 – 50 1
41 – 45 10
36 – 40 10
31 – 35 6
26 – 30 9
21 – 25 4
Example 6: Solve for range.
Solutions:
Scores in Second Periodical Test Upper Class Limit of the Highest Interval = 50
of I – Faith in Mathematics Highest Upper Class Boundary = 50 + 0.5 = 50.5
Scores Frequency Lowest Class Boundary = 21 − 0.5 = 20.5
46 – 50 1
41 – 45 10 Then,
36 – 40 10 Range = 50.5 – 20.5
Range = 30
31 – 35 6
26 – 30 9 Therefore, the range of the given data set is 30.
21 – 25 4
Variance for Grouped Data

To find variance of a grouped data, use the formula:
where; f = class frequency

X = class mark
= class mean
Σf = total number of frequency
In calculating the variance, do the following steps:
a. Prepare a frequency distribution with appropriate class intervals and write
the corresponding frequency ( f ).
b.Get the midpoint (X) of each class interval in column 2.
c. Multiply frequency ( f ) and midpoint (X) of each class interval to get fX.
d.Add fX of each interval to get ΣfX
e. Compute the mean using .
f. Calculate the deviation by subtracting the mean from each midpoint.
g.Square the deviation of each interval to get
h.Multiply frequency ( f ) and . Find the sum of each product to get Σ.
i. Calculate the standard deviation using the formula
Example 7: Solve for
Solution:
varinace. a. Find the mean.
Scores in Mathematics I Test
Scores Frequency
46 – 50 1
41 – 45 10
36 – 40 10
31 – 35 6
26 – 30 9
21 – 25 4
Example 7: Solve for variance.
Solution:
Therefore, the variance( or S2) is 40.24.

Standard Deviation for Grouped Data

The standard deviation is considered the best indicator of the degree of
dispersion among the measures of variability because it represents an
average variability of the distribution. Given the set of data, the smaller
the range, the smaller the standard deviation, the less spread is the
distribution.
To get the value of the standard deviation (s), just simply get
the square root of the variance ():

Standard Deviation for Grouped Data
Example 8: Solve for Standard deviation.
Solution:
To get the

value of the standard deviation (s), just simply get the square root of the
variance ( ;

Therefore, the standard deviation ( S ) is 6.34.

Measures of Variation

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Measures of Variation

The Measures of Variability

 The purpose of measures of variability is to

 It also known dispersion or spread which denote

Workers of both factories have mean wage = 469

To find the range of wages:

Range for Factory A = 575 – 380 = 195

These ranges tell us that the wages of workers of factory B are

where ; A.D. is the average deviation,

1. Find the mean for all the cases.

Where; SD is the standard deviation;

a. Find the mean.

Lastly, to compute the standard deviation (SD) using the formula

The range is the simplest measure of variability. The range of a

Range =Upper Class Boundary – Lower Class Boundary of

where; f = class frequency

Therefore, the variance( or S2) is 40.24.

To get the

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