Measures of Dispersion

Measures of Dispersion
Measures of dispersion are non-negative real numbers that help to gauge

the spread of data about a central value. These measures help to
determine how stretched or squeezed the given data is. There are five
most commonly used measures of dispersion. These are range, variance,
standard deviation, mean deviation, and quartile deviation.
The most important use of measures of dispersion is that they help to get
an understanding of the distribution of data. As the data becomes more
diverse, the value of the measure of dispersion increases. In this article, we
will learn about measures of dispersion, their types along with examples as
well as various important aspects related to these measures.
What is Measure of Dispersion in Statistics?

Measures of dispersion help to describe the variability in data. Dispersion is
a statistical term that can be used to describe the extent to which data is
scattered. Thus, measures of dispersion are certain types of measures that
are used to quantify the dispersion of data.
Measures of Dispersion Definition

Measures of dispersion can be defined as positive real numbers that
measure how homogeneous or heterogeneous the given data is. The value
of a measure of dispersion will be 0 if the data points in a data set are the
same. However, as the variability of the data increases the value of the
measures of dispersion also increases.
Measures of Dispersion Example

Suppose we have two data sets A = {3, 1, 6, 2} and B = {1, 5, 9, 10}. The
variance(population) of A is 3.5 and the variance(population) of B is 12.68.
This implies that data set B is more variable than data set A. Thus, the
variance helps to draw a comparison between the two data sets A and B on
the basis of variability.
Types of Measures of Dispersion

The measures of dispersion can be classified into two broad categories.
These are absolute measures of dispersion and relative measures of
dispersion. Range, variance, standard deviation and mean deviation fall
under the category of absolute measures of deviation. These measures
have the same unit as the data that is being scrutinized. Coefficients of
dispersion are relative measures of deviation. Such dispersion measures
are always dimensionless. The upcoming sections will further elaborate on
these measures.
Absolute Measures of Dispersion
If the dispersion of data within an experiment has to be determined then
absolute measures of dispersion should be used. These measures usually
express variations in a data set with respect to the average of the
deviations of the observations. The most commonly used absolute
measures of deviation are listed below.
Range: Given a data set, the range can be defined as the difference
between the maximum value and the minimum value.
Variance: The average squared deviation from the mean of the given data
set is known as the variance. This measure of dispersion checks the spread
of the data about the mean.
Standard Deviation: The square root of the variance gives the standard
deviation. Thus, the standard deviation also measures the variation of the
data about the mean.
Mean Deviation: The mean deviation gives the average of the data's
absolute deviation about the central points. These central points could be
the mean, median, or mode.
Quartile Deviation: Quartile deviation can be defined as half of the

difference between the third quartile and the first quartile in a given data
set.
Relative Measures of Dispersion

If the data of separate data sets have different units and need to be
compared then relative measures of dispersion are used. The measures
are expressed in the form of ratios and percentages thus, making them
unitless. Some of the relative measures of dispersion are given below:
Coefficient of Range: It is the ratio of the difference between the highest

and lowest value in a data set to the sum of the highest and lowest value.
Coefficient of Variation: It is the ratio of the standard deviation to

the mean of the data set. It is expressed in the form of a percentage.
Coefficient of Mean Deviation: This can be defined as the ratio of the

mean deviation to the value of the central point from which it is calculated.
Coefficient of Quartile Deviation: It is the ratio of the difference between
the third quartile and the first quartile to the sum of the third and first
quartiles.
Measures of Dispersion Formula

Measures of dispersion are used when we want to find the scattering of
data about a central point such as the mean. The general formulas used to
calculate the various measures of dispersion are given in the tables below:
Absolute Measures of Dispersion
Absolute
Measures of Formulas
Dispersion
H-S
Range where H is the largest value and S is the
smallest value in a data set.
Population
Variance: σ2σ2 = ∑n1(Xi−¯¯¯¯¯X)2n∑1n(Xi−X¯)2
n
Variance Sample Variance:
s2 = ∑n1(Xi−¯¯¯¯¯X)2n−1∑1n(Xi−X¯)2n−1
where n is the number of observations
and ¯¯¯¯¯XX¯ is the mean
Population Standard Deviation: S.D.

Standard
= √VarianceVariance = σσ
Deviation
Sample Standard Deviation: S.D. = s
∑n1|X−¯¯¯¯¯X|n∑1n|X−X¯|n
Mean
where ¯¯¯¯¯XX¯ is the central value and
Deviation
denotes the mean, median or mode.
Q3−Q12Q3−Q12
Quartile
where Q3Q3 and Q1Q1 are the third and first
Deviation
quartiles respectively.
Relative Measures of Dispersion
Relative Measures
Formulas
of Dispersion
Coefficient of
(H - S) / (H + S)
Range
Coefficient of
(S.D. / Mean) * 100
Variation
Mean Deviation / ¯¯¯¯¯XX¯

Coefficient of Mean
where, ¯¯¯¯¯XX¯ is the central point about
Deviation
which the mean deviation is calculated.
Coefficient of
Q3−Q1Q3+Q1Q3−Q1Q3+Q1
Quartile Deviation
Measures of Dispersion and Central

Tendency
Both measures of dispersion and measures of central tendency are used to
describe data. The table given below outlines the difference between the
measures of dispersion and central tendency.
Measures of Dispersion Central Tendency
When we want to quantify the Measures of central

variability of data we use tendency help to quantify the
measures of dispersion. data's average behavior.
Measures of dispersion include

Measures of central
variance, standard deviation,
tendency are mean, median,
mean deviation, quartile
and mode.
deviation, etc.
Important Notes on Measures of Dispersion
 Measures of dispersion are used to determine the spread of data. They

are measured about a central value.
 Measures of dispersion can be classified into two types, i.e., absolute
and relative measures of dispersion.
 Absolute measures of deviation have the same units as the data and
relative measures are unitless.
 Range, variance, standard deviation, quartile deviation and mean
deviation are absolute measures of deviation
 Coefficients of dispersion are relative measures of deviation

Measures of Dispersion

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Measures of Dispersion

Measures of dispersion are non-negative real numbers that help to gauge

What is Measure of Dispersion in Statistics?

Measures of Dispersion Definition

Measures of Dispersion Example

Types of Measures of Dispersion

Quartile Deviation: Quartile deviation can be defined as half of the

Relative Measures of Dispersion

Coefficient of Range: It is the ratio of the difference between the highest

Coefficient of Variation: It is the ratio of the standard deviation to

Coefficient of Mean Deviation: This can be defined as the ratio of the

Measures of Dispersion Formula

Absolute Measures of Dispersion

Population Standard Deviation: S.D.

Mean Deviation / ¯¯¯¯¯XX¯

Measures of Dispersion and Central

Measures of Dispersion Central Tendency

When we want to quantify the Measures of central

Measures of dispersion include

 Measures of dispersion are used to determine the spread of data. They

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