Use the table to answer the question.

Find the standard deviation of the data set, rounded to the nearest hundredth.
Data Point 15 18 11 17 14
Difference 3 2 -1
Squared 0 9 4 1

1 answer

To calculate the standard deviation, we need to follow these steps:

  1. Calculate the Mean (Average): \[ \text{Mean} = \frac{\text{Sum of all data points}}{\text{Number of data points}} = \frac{15 + 18 + 11 + 17 + 14}{5} = \frac{75}{5} = 15 \]

  2. Calculate the Differences from the Mean:

    • \(15 - 15 = 0\)
    • \(18 - 15 = 3\)
    • \(11 - 15 = -4\)
    • \(17 - 15 = 2\)
    • \(14 - 15 = -1\)

The differences from the mean are: \(0, 3, -4, 2, -1\).

  1. Square the Differences:
    • \(0^2 = 0\)
    • \(3^2 = 9\)
    • \((-4)^2 = 16\)
    • \(2^2 = 4\)
    • \((-1)^2 = 1\)

The squared differences are: \(0, 9, 16, 4, 1\).

  1. Calculate the Variance: Sum the squared differences: \[ 0 + 9 + 16 + 4 + 1 = 30 \] Divide by the number of data points: \[ \text{Variance} = \frac{30}{5} = 6 \]

  2. Calculate the Standard Deviation: Take the square root of the variance: \[ \text{Standard Deviation} = \sqrt{6} \approx 2.45 \]

The standard deviation of the data set, rounded to the nearest hundredth, is approximately 2.45.