Page 3: Measures of Spread and Statistical Calculations
This page focuses on measures of spread and introduces more advanced statistical calculations for A Level Maths.
Two main types of spread are discussed:
- Range: the difference between the largest and smallest values
- Interquartile range (IQR): the difference between the upper and lower quartile values
Highlight: The range is affected by extreme values, while the IQR is not.
The page then introduces variance and standard deviation:
Definition: Variance is the spread of the data set around the mean, denoted by σ². Standard deviation is the square root of variance, denoted by σ.
Formulas for calculating variance and standard deviation are provided:
σ² = Σ(x - x̄)² / n or σ² = Σx² / n - x̄²
The page also covers coding, a method to simplify calculations:
Example: Coding is usually given in the form y = ax + b, where 'a' affects the standard deviation, and 'b' affects the mean.
This comprehensive guide provides students with essential knowledge for Edexcel A Level Maths Statistics, covering sampling methods, data analysis, and statistical measures.