variance

Data Science and A.I. : Measures of Dispersion : Variance of Continuous Freq. Distribution

Title: How to Calculate Variance of Continuous Frequency Distribution

 

Introduction:

 

In statistics, variance is a measure of the spread of a distribution. For continuous frequency distributions, variance helps determine how data points differ from the mean. In this tutorial, we’ll go through the steps to calculate variance using a frequency distribution table.

Understanding the Frequency Distribution Table

Below is a table representing the frequency distribution of a data set:

Class Interval fi Mid Values xi ui=\(\frac{x_i – A}{h}\) fi ui ui2 fi ui2
0-15 12 7.5 4 -48 16 192
15-30 18 22.5 3 -54 9 162
30-45 35 37.5 2 -70 4 140
45-60 42 52.5 1 -42 1 42
60-75 50 67.5 0 0 0 0
75-90 45 82.5 1 45 1 45
90-105 20 97.5 2 40 4 80
105-120 8 112.5 3 24 9 72

– \(N = \sum f_i = 230\)
– \(\sum f_i u_i = -105\)
– \(\sum f_i u_i^2 = 733\)

Steps to Calculate Variance

1. Identify the Class Midpoints (\(x_i\)):
Midpoints are calculated as the average of the class intervals.

2. Determine Deviations (\(u_i\)):
The deviations \(u_i\) are calculated as \(u_i = \frac{x_i – A}{h}\), where \(A\) is the assumed mean and \(h\) is the class width. Here, \(A = 67.5\) and \(h = 15\).

3. Calculate \(f_i u_i\) and \(f_i u_i^2\):
These are the products of frequencies and their corresponding deviations.

4. Variance Formula:
The formula for variance of a continuous frequency distribution is:
\[
Var(X) = h^2 \left(\frac{1}{N} \sum f_i u_i^2 – \left(\frac{\sum f_i u_i}{N}\right)^2 \right)
\]
Where:
– \(h = 15\)
– \(N = 230\)
– \(\sum f_i u_i = -105\)
– \(\sum f_i u_i^2 = 733\)

5. Plugging in the Values:
\[
Var(X) = (15)^2 \left(\frac{733}{230} – \left(\frac{-105}{230}\right)^2 \right)
\]
Simplifying further:
\[
Var(X) = 225 \times (3.18696 – 0.20802) = 225 \times 2.97894 = 669.93
\]

So, the variance of the distribution is approximately **669.93**.

Video

 

PDF Presentation

var cfd ex 3

Conclusion:

The variance for the given continuous frequency distribution was calculated as **669.93** using the step-by-step method outlined. Variance gives us valuable insight into how the data is distributed around the mean, and it is a fundamental concept in statistics.

This post will help others understand the calculation of variance for continuous frequency distributions using a clear example.

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