standard deviation

USAGE SUMMARY

"standard deviation" is correct and usable in written English.
You would use it to provide an objective measure of how spread out numbers are in a given dataset. An example sentence would be: "Using the standard deviation, we were able to measure how far each value in the dataset was from the mean."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

No standard deviation here.

The New Yorker

Bars represent standard deviation.

Nature

Bars indicate standard deviation.

Nature

The standard deviation is the standard deviation.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

SD, standard deviation.

Nature

"Standard deviation of 14.4 points?

The New York Times

Dotted lines represent standard deviation.

Nature

Standard deviation is poorly understood.

Harvard Business Review

Error bars indicate standard deviation.

Nature

Vertical bars represent standard deviation.

Nature

Error bars represent standard deviation.

Nature

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When reporting "standard deviation", always include the mean to provide context. For example, "The average score was 79, with a standard deviation of 17."

Common error

Avoid assuming a normal distribution solely based on the "standard deviation". While it indicates data spread, other factors influence distribution shape.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "standard deviation" functions as a noun phrase in statistical contexts. As shown in Ludwig, it is used to quantify the amount of variation or dispersion of a set of data values.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

61%

Academia

20%

News & Media

19%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "standard deviation" is a noun phrase that serves as a fundamental statistical measure of data dispersion. As verified by Ludwig, its primary function is to quantify variability, predominantly in formal and scientific contexts. Common usage involves reporting it alongside the mean for context. Related terms include "measure of dispersion" and "variability metric". Be mindful of misinterpreting "standard deviation" as a sole indicator of normal distribution. Remember to always include the mean when you mention the "standard deviation", for a complete overview.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

statistical dispersion

Emphasizes the statistical nature of the data's spread.

measure of dispersion

Focuses on the concept of spread within a dataset, rather than the specific calculation.

variability metric

Highlights the quantitative nature of measuring variability in data.

deviation from the mean

Focuses on the difference between data points and the average value.

scatter of data

Describes the visual representation of data points around a central value.

statistical variance

Related but distinct concept focusing on the squared deviations from the mean.

amount of variation

General description of how much the data varies.

degree of spread

Describes the extent to which data is distributed.

distribution range

Describes the overall span of values in the dataset.

confidence interval

Related statistical measure indicating the reliability of an estimate.

FAQs

How is "standard deviation" used in data analysis?

"Standard deviation" is used to quantify the amount of variation or dispersion of a set of data values. A low standard deviation indicates that the data points tend to be close to the mean (also called the expected value) of the set, while a high standard deviation indicates that the data points are spread out over a wider range.

What is the relationship between "standard deviation" and variance?

The "standard deviation" is the square root of the variance. Variance measures the average of the squared differences from the mean, while "standard deviation" provides a more interpretable measure in the original units of the data.

What are some alternatives to "standard deviation"?

While "standard deviation" is a key statistical term, related concepts include "measure of dispersion", "variability metric", and "statistical dispersion". Each focuses on quantifying data spread.

How do I interpret error bars representing "standard deviation" in a graph?

Error bars that represent "standard deviation" indicate the variability within a sample. If error bars between two groups overlap significantly, it suggests that the difference between the means of the groups may not be statistically significant.