Lesson 1.11: Standard Deviation

Standard Deviation:

• The average distance the data is from the mean.

• Measures how spread out (or variable) the data.

• We use it to analyze symmetrial data.

To calculate standard deviation use the following process:

1. Calculate the mean

2. Calculate the deviation from the mean for each data point

3. Square each value

4. Sum all the squared values

5. Divide the sum by one less than the number of data points there are.

6. Find the square root of the previous quotient

7. This is your standard deviation.

or... If that seems really laborous and anoying, use your calculator!!

#2015