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Which number measures how far the data values sit from their mean?
AThe standard deviation
BThe median of the data
CThe mode of the data
DThe largest data value
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. The standard deviation
1. Two data sets can share a mean and still look completely different in how spread out they are.
2. The standard deviation is the number that measures how far the values sit from their mean.
3. It is small when the data cluster near the mean and larger when they are spread out.
_Source: OpenStax High School Statistics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 2 "Descriptive Statistics" and Ch 3 "Probability Topics", section 2.7 Measures of the Spread of the Data_
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