Statistics Fundamentals

Population vs Sample Std Dev

Population std dev (σ) divides by n — use when you have all the data. Sample std dev (s) divides by n−1 — use when your data is a sample from a larger population. For most coursework and experiments, you want the sample standard deviation.

What Standard Deviation Tells You

Std dev measures spread around the mean. Low std dev = data clustered near the mean. High std dev = data spread widely. In a normal distribution, 68% of data falls within 1 std dev of the mean, 95% within 2, and 99.7% within 3 (the empirical rule).

When to Use Which Average

Mean: symmetric data without outliers. Median: skewed data or outliers present (house prices, salaries). Mode: categorical data or finding the most common value. For exam scores: mean shows average performance; median shows what the 'typical' student scored.

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