MEASURES OF

DISPERSION
OR
VARIABILITY

MEASURES OF DISPERSION
OR VARIABILITY
Measures of dispersion are important for
describing the spread of the data, or its
variation around a central value.
Two distinct samples may have the same
mean or median, but completely different levels
of variability, or vice versa. A proper description
of a set of data should include both of
these characteristics.

UNGROUPED DATA
RANGE: it is the
difference between the
largest and smallest
sample values.
Mean Absolute
Deviation (MAD):
=

:
=
=

=
=

UNGROUPED DATA
QUARTILE DEVIATION
OR SEMI-INTERQUARTILE
RANGE:

VARIANCE ( ): the
average of the squared
deviation values from the
Amount of dispersion present distributions mean. If all
in the middle 50% of the value values are identical the
s in a distribution. It is the
variance is zero, the greater
the dispersion of values the
difference between the first
quartile and the third quartile greater the variance. The
symbol for sample variance
divided by two.

is the population
=

variance is the Greek letter

sigma

VARIANCE
Population Variance

=1 1
2
=

where:
1 =
=
=

Sample Variance

=1
2
=
1
where:
1 =
=
=

It is the positive square root of the variance which

measures the spread or dispersion of each value from the
mean of the distribution. It is the most used measure of spread
since it improves interpretability by removing the variance square
and expressing deviations. It is the most important measure of
dispersion since it enables us to determine with a great deal of
accuracy where the values of the distribution are located in
relation to the mean
Population Standard Deviation
=

Sample Standard Deviation

where:
=
=

where:
1 =
=

Example: Ungrouped Data

The weights in kilos of ten students
are: 50, 59, 55, 48, 60, 54, 48, 61, 57, 45, 52
and 63, Solve the following:

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Range
Quartile Deviation
Mean Absolute Deviation
Variance
Standard Deviation

Solution:
a. Range: 63-45=18

b. =

3 1
2

45,48,48,50,52,54,55,57,59,60,61 and 63

(+1)
3(12)
=
=9
4
4
(+1)
(+1)
1 = 4 = 4 = 3
5948
= 2 = 5.5

3 =

C. Mean Absolute Deviation

= 54.33 54

(59)
(48)

Continuation

( )

45

-9

81

48

-6

36

48

-6

36

50

-4

16

52

-2

54

55

57

59

25

60

36

61

49

63

81

58

374

Continuation

58

VARIANCE

374
=
=
= 34

11
STANDARD DEVIATION

12

= 4.83

= .

Range = Upper boundary of highest class
minus lower boundary of lowest class.
3 1

Deviation= =

Mean Absolute Deviation

MAD=

where:
=
=
=
=
VARIANCE

where:

=
=
= #
=
STANDARD DEVIATION
2

Where
=
=
= #
=

Example: Grouped Data

The following is a frequency distribution of an achievement test
. Using the table below compute the following: a) MAD, b) SD,& c) QD
CI

cm

df

18-26

22

-2

-16

22 42 = 20

8*20=160

27-35

13

31

-1

-13

31 42 = 11

13*11=143

36-44

21

40

21 42 = 2

21*2=42

45-53

49

6 42 = 7

6*7=42

54-62

12

58

24

58 42 = 16

12*16=192

60

11

579

Computation:
Mean Absolute Deviation ( MAD)
= +
=

=1

11
9 = 41.65
60
579
= 9.65
60

= 40 +
=

42

Class Interval

Frequency( )

<cf

18-26

27-35

13

21

36-44

21

42

45-53

48

54-62

12

60

60

Tabulation
CI

18-26

22

(22-42)=-20

27-35

13

31

(31-42)=-11

11

36-44

21

40

(40-42)=-2

45-53

49

(49-42)=7

54-62

12

58

(58-42)=16

16

60

= 400

8*400=3200

=121

12*121=1573

=4

21*4=84

= 49

6*49=294

= 256

12*256=3072

20

8223

Computation for SD & QD

STANDARD DEVIATION

8223
60

1 =

(60)
4

1 = 26.5 + 9

= .

3 =

= +
3(60)
4

<1

4542
6

3 1
2
4931.35
2

Ans: 8.83

= 45

3 = 44.5 + 9

158
13

= .

QUARTILE DEVIATION

= 15

= 8.83