Which of the following BEST describes standard deviation?

Which of the following BEST describes standard deviation?
A . A measure that is used to establish a relationship between two variables
B . A measure of how data is distributed
C . A measure of the amount of dispersion of a set of values
D . A measure that is used to find the significant difference between variables

View Answer

Answer: C

Explanation:

A measure of the amount of dispersion of a set of values. This is because standard deviation is a type of statistical measure that quantifies how much the values in a data set vary or deviate from the mean or the average of the data set. Standard deviation can be used to describe the spread or the distribution of the data, as well as to identify any outliers or extreme values in the data. For example, a low standard deviation indicates that the values are close to the mean, while a high standard deviation indicates that the values are far from the mean. The other options are not correct descriptions of standard deviation.

Here is why:

A measure that is used to establish a relationship between two variables is not a correct description of standard deviation, but rather a description of correlation or regression, which are types of statistical measures that quantify how two variables are related or associated with each other. Correlation or regression can be used to test or model the dependence or the influence of one variable on another variable, as well as to predict or estimate the value of one variable based on the value of another variable.

A measure of how data is distributed is not a correct description of standard deviation, but rather a description of frequency or probability, which are types of statistical measures that quantify how often or how likely a value or an event occurs in a data set. Frequency or probability can be used to describe the occurrence or the chance of the data, as well as to compare or contrast different categories or groups of the data.

A measure that is used to find the significant difference between variables is not a correct description of standard deviation, but rather a description of hypothesis testing or inferential statistics, which are types of statistical methods that use sample data to make generalizations or conclusions about a population or a parameter. Hypothesis testing or inferential statistics can be used to test or verify a claim or an assumption about the data, as well as to measure the confidence or the error of the estimation.