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How to Get Standard Deviation from Variance?

Published in Statistics 2 mins read

To get the standard deviation from the variance, simply calculate the square root of the variance.

Understanding Variance and Standard Deviation

Variance and standard deviation are both measures of the spread of data points in a dataset.

  • Variance: Represents the average of the squared differences from the mean. A higher variance indicates a greater spread of the data.
  • Standard Deviation: Represents the square root of the variance. It provides a measure of the spread of the data in the same units as the original data, making it easier to interpret.

The Formula

The relationship between variance and standard deviation is defined by the following formula:

Standard Deviation = √Variance

Example

Let's say you have a dataset and its variance has been calculated to be 25. To find the standard deviation, you would perform the following calculation:

Standard Deviation = √25 = 5

Therefore, the standard deviation of the dataset is 5.

Why Standard Deviation is Useful

Standard deviation is useful for:

  • Comparing the spread of two separate data sets that have approximately the same mean. A larger standard deviation indicates a wider spread.
  • Determining how far individual data points are from the mean. This can help identify outliers.

In Summary

Finding the standard deviation from the variance is a straightforward calculation involving taking the square root of the variance. This gives you a readily interpretable measure of data spread.