Standard deviation: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:28, 27 January 2007

Revision as of 02:09, 28 January 2007

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=====Weather=====

As a simple example, consider average temperatures for cities. While the average for all cities may be 60 degrees[[Fahrenheit|°F]], it's helpful to understand that the range for cities near the coast is smaller than for cities inland, which clarifies that, while the average is similar, the chance for variation is greater inland than near the coast.

So, an average of 60 occurs for one city with highs of 80 degrees°F and lows of 40 degrees°F, and also occurs for another city with highs of 65 and lows of 55. The standard deviation allows us to recognize that the average for city with the wider variation, and thus a higher standard deviation will not offer as reliable a prediction of temperature as the city with the smaller variation and lower standard deviation.

=====Sports=====