Elementary Statistics –

Measures of Variability

Mr. Niño N. Dela Cruz

Math Faculty, MCU - JHS
 MEASURES OF CENTRAL TENDENCY
• WHEN THE GRAPH OF THE SCORES IS A NORMAL
CURVE, THE MODE, MEDIAN, AND MEAN ARE EQUAL
• THE MEAN IS THE MOST COMMON MEASURE OF
CENTRAL TENDENCY
• WHEN THE SCORES ARE QUITE SKEWED OR THE DATA
IS ORDINAL LACKING A COMMON INTERVAL, THE
MEDIAN IS A BETTER MEASURE OF CENTRAL
TENDENCY
• THE MODE IS USED ONLY WHEN THE MEAN OR
MEDIAN CANNOT BE CALCULATED (E.G., NOMINAL
DATA) OR WHEN THE ONLY INFORMATION WANTED IS
THE MOT FREQUENT SCORE (E.G., MOST UNIFORM
SIZE OR INJURY SITE)
 MEASURES OF VARIABILITY

• DESCRIBES THE SET OF SCORES IN

TERMS OF THEIR SPREAD, OR
HETEROGENEITY
• CONSIDER TWO GROUPS OF SCORES
GROUP 1 = 9, 5, 1; GROUP 2 = 5, 6, 4
• BOTH HAVE A MEAN AND MEDIAN OF 5
BUT GROUP 2 HAS MUCH MORE
HOMOGENEOUS OR SIMILAR SCORES
THAN GROUP 1
 MEASURES OF VARIABILITY

• RANGE

• STANDARD DEVIATION
 RANGE
• EASIEST MEASURE OF
VARIABILITY TO CALCULATE
• USED WHEN THE MEASURE OF
CENTRAL TENDENCY IS THE MODE
(NOMINAL DATA OR WHEN THE
MOST FREQUENT SCORE IS OF
INTEREST) OR MEDIAN (ORDINAL
DATA OR SKEWED DATA)
• SIMPLY THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THE HIGHEST AND
LOWEST SCORES
 WHAT IS THE RANGE IN THE SET OF
SCORES BELOW?
• SET OF SCORES:
7, 2, 7, 6, 5, 6, 2

RANGE = HIGHEST SCORE MINUS

LOWEST SCORE = 7 - 2 = 5
 STANDARD DEVIATION (S)
• MEASURE OF VARIABILITY USED WITH
THE MEAN (NORMALLY DISTRIBUTED
INTERVAL OR RATIO DATA)
• INDICATES THE AMOUNT THAT ALL
SCORES DIFFER OR DEVIATE FROM THE
MEAN
• THE MORE THE SCORES DIFFER FROM
THE MEAN, THE HIGHER THE
STANDARD DEVIATION (s)
• SUM OF THE DEVIATIONS OF SCORES
FROM THE MEAN IS ALWAYS IS 0
Formula for Sample Standard
Deviation

√ ∑ (𝑥− 𝑥) 2

𝑠=
𝑛−1
SAMPLE CALCULATION OF THE STANDARD
DEVIATION USING FORMULA AND THE
FOLLOWING TESTS SCORES: 8, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14

x (x -
8
8
9
11
13
14
Standard Deviation
 SW #9
The following are the
grades of the 10 students in
Math 87, 78, 85, 86, 78,
87, 82, 87, 81, 86
Solve the standard
deviation (s)
 QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS??

THANK YOU!!