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What does the standard deviation of a data set measure?
AHow far the data values are from their mean
BHow far the largest value is from the smallest
CHow far the median lies from the first quartile
DHow many values fall inside each class interval
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. How far the data values are from their mean
1. Spread describes how tightly the values cluster around their centre.
2. The standard deviation measures how far the values sit from their mean.
3. A small standard deviation means the data are concentrated near the mean and a large one means they are widely scattered.
_Source: OpenStax Introductory Business Statistics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 2 "Descriptive Statistics", section 2.7 Measures of the Spread of the Data_
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