Standard deviation calculator

Standard Deviation Calculator is a quick tool for computing the dispersion of your data set. Get precise and instant results that help you analyze your data with ease.

Standard Deviation Calculator



About the Standard Deviation Calculator

Here are the instructions on how to use this Standard Deviation Calculator:

  • Enter a list of numbers separated by commas in the input field labeled "Enter numbers separated by commas."
  • Choose whether the list of numbers represents a population or a sample by selecting the appropriate radio button. The default option is "Population."
  • Click the "Calculate" button to calculate the standard deviation of the entered list of numbers.
  • The result will be displayed in the area below the "Calculate" button, labeled "Count," "Sum," "Mean," "Variance," “Range”, and "Standard Deviation."
  • To enter a new set of numbers, clear the input field and repeat steps 1-5.

This calculator assumes that the input list of numbers contains only numerical values separated by commas. If you enter invalid data, the calculator will not work correctly. Here are a couple of example calculations you can perform using our standard deviation calculator:

Example 1: Population standard deviation calculation

Imagine we have a population of 10 people with their ages given as 20, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 35. We want to calculate the standard deviation of their ages.

We enter the ages of the 10 people separated by commas in the input field labeled "Enter numbers separated by commas." The input field should look like this: 20,22,23,25,26,27,28,29,30,35.

Since we are dealing with a population, we leave the default radio button selected. We then click the "Calculate" button to calculate the standard deviation of the entered list of numbers.

The result is displayed in the area below the "Calculate" button, labeled "Count," "Sum," "Mean," "Variance," “Range”, and "Standard Deviation." We get the following output calculations:

  • Count: 10 (This is the number of ages entered.)
  • Sum: 255 (This is the sum of all the ages.)
  • Mean: 25.5 (This is the average age.)
  • Variance: 27.61 (This measures how much the ages vary from the mean age.)
  • Range: 15 (This is the difference between the highest age and the lowest age.)
  • Standard Deviation: 5.25 (This is a measure of how spread out the ages are.)

Explanation: The mean age is 25.5, which means that, on average, the age of the 10 people is 25.5 years. The variance is 27.61, which means that the ages of the 10 people vary quite a bit from the mean age. The standard deviation is 5.25, which is a measure of how much the ages vary from the mean age. In this case, the standard deviation tells us that the ages are spread out by about 5.25 years from the mean age.

Example 2: Sample standard deviation calculation

Suppose we have a sample of test scores for a group of 20 students, and we want to calculate the standard deviation of the scores. The scores are as follows:

75, 80, 85, 90, 85, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 85, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 85, 70, 75, 80

To calculate the standard deviation:

  • Enter the list of numbers separated by commas in the input field labeled "Enter numbers separated by commas." In this case, we will enter: 75, 80, 85, 90, 85, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 85, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 85, 70, 75, 80
  • Choose the "Sample" option since we are dealing with a sample of test scores.
  • Click the "Calculate" button to calculate the standard deviation of the entered list of numbers.

The result will be displayed in the area below the "Calculate" button, labeled "Count," "Sum," "Mean," "Variance," “Range”, and "Standard Deviation."

  • Count: 20
  • Sum: 1625
  • Mean: 81.25
  • Variance: 56.25
  • Range: 20
  • Standard Deviation: 7.5
  • The standard deviation of the test scores for the sample of 20 students is 7.5.

Explanation: The count value shows that there are 20 test scores in the sample. The sum value shows that the sum of all the test scores is 1625. The mean value shows that the average score is 81.25. The variance value shows that the variance of the scores is 56.25. The range value shows that the range of the scores is 20. Finally, the standard deviation value shows that the standard deviation of the test scores is 7.5.

This information can be used to understand the spread of the test scores for this particular group of students. A lower standard deviation indicates that the test scores are more closely grouped around the mean, while a higher standard deviation indicates a wider spread of scores.

Understanding Standard Deviation

Standard deviation is a statistical metric that measures the extent of variation or scatter among a collection of data values. It is an important concept in statistics and data analysis, as it helps to understand how spread out or clustered a dataset is around its mean or average value. Standard deviation is commonly used in many fields, such as finance, engineering, social sciences, and natural sciences.

What is Standard Deviation?

Standard deviation is a measure of how much the values in a dataset vary from the mean value. It is represented by the symbol σ (sigma) for population data and s for sample data. A low standard deviation indicates that the values in the dataset are close to the mean, while a high standard deviation indicates that the values are spread out.

In order to calculate the standard deviation, you need to take the square root of the variance. Variance is calculated by finding the average of the squared differences between each value in the dataset and the mean value.

Formula for calculating standard deviation:

σ = √(Σ(xi - μ)² / N)

Where:

σ = standard deviation Σ = sum of xi = each value in the dataset μ = mean value N = number of values in the dataset

How to Interpret Standard Deviation

Standard deviation provides an indication of how much the values in a dataset deviate from the mean. The interpretation of standard deviation depends on the context of the data. Typically, the subsequent guidelines can be used:

If the standard deviation is close to zero, the values in the dataset are tightly clustered around the mean value.

If the standard deviation is low, the values in the dataset are close to the mean value, but there is some variability.

If the standard deviation is high, the values in the dataset are spread out from the mean value, indicating a large variability.

Applications of Standard Deviation

Standard deviation has various applications in different fields. Here are some examples:

Finance: In finance, standard deviation is used to measure the volatility of stock prices or returns. A high standard deviation indicates that the stock prices or returns are highly variable, while a low standard deviation indicates that they are less variable.

Engineering: In engineering, standard deviation is used to measure the variability of measurements or test results. For example, in manufacturing, standard deviation is used to ensure that the products are consistent and meet the required specifications.

Social Sciences: In social sciences, standard deviation is used to measure the dispersion of data in surveys or studies. For example, in a survey of income levels, the standard deviation can indicate how much the income levels vary among the respondents.

Natural Sciences: In natural sciences, standard deviation is used to measure the precision and accuracy of measurements or experimental results. For example, in physics, standard deviation is used to indicate the uncertainty in a measurement.

Using Standard Deviation to Make Inferences

Standard deviation is also used in hypothesis testing and inferential statistics. In these applications, standard deviation is used to determine the level of significance of the results obtained from a statistical test. If the standard deviation is high, it means that the data is spread out, and there may be some error or variability in the results. In this case, the statistical test may not be very reliable, and the results may not be statistically significant.

On the other hand, if the standard deviation is low, it means that the data is tightly clustered around the mean, and the results are more reliable. This indicates that the statistical test is more likely to yield significant results. Therefore, standard deviation is an important factor in determining the statistical significance of results obtained from experiments or surveys.

Standard Deviation vs. Variance

Standard deviation and variance are two closely related statistical concepts. Variance is the average of the squared differences between each value in the dataset and the mean value. We can obtain the standard deviation by taking the square root of the variance. While variance provides a measure of the dispersion of data, standard deviation is a more intuitive measure that is easier to interpret.

For example, consider two datasets with the same mean but different variances. Dataset A has a variance of 10, and dataset B has a variance of 100. Although the mean values are the same, dataset B has a much higher dispersion of data than dataset A. However, if we calculate the standard deviation of both datasets, we get a value of 3.16 for dataset A and 10 for dataset B. This makes it easier to compare the variability of the two datasets.

In summary, standard deviation is an important statistical concept that is used to measure the amount of variation or dispersion in a dataset. It is an intuitive measure that is easy to interpret and is commonly used in many fields, such as finance, engineering, social sciences, and natural sciences. Standard deviation provides a measure of the variability of data and is used in hypothesis testing and inferential statistics to determine the level of significance of results. It is closely related to variance, which provides a measure of the dispersion of data but is less intuitive than standard deviation.