Variance Tutorial

This tutorial is composed of two pages.

The first will teach you how mean, variance, and standard deviation are calculated.
The second page (see the tab below) is an exercise in which you will calculate and
compare the variances of two sets of data.

Look at the two groups of numbers below. How are they the same? How are they
different?
We'll imagine the numbers are the heights of seedlings in centimeters.
Group A
Group B
Height (cm) Height (cm)
20.0
10.0
20.0
15.0
20.0
20.0
20.0
25.0
20.0
30.0
You've probably noticed that they have the same mean (can be called the average).
A mean is a number that indictates the center of a group of numbers. It is the sum of the
numbers divided by the total number.
For example, the mean for Group A is:
(20.0 cm + 20.0 cm + 20.0 cm + 20.0 cm + 20.0 cm) / 5 = 20.0 cm.
You can click on cells A42 and B42 to see the formulas.
Group A
Group B
Height (cm) Height (cm)
20.0
10.0
20.0
15.0
20.0
20.0
20.0
25.0
20.0
30.0
mean
20.0

mean
20.0

Remember to use correct signficant numbers. To change them in excel: go to the

Format menu and select Cells (You have to select the cell first.) Click on the
Number tab. Under Category, you can select Number and set the number of decimal
places or you can select Scientific to use scientific notation. For instance, 20.0 in
scientific notation is 2.00 x 101. Excel will display it as 2.00E+01.
You have probably also noticed that the numbers cover a different range. In Group A, all
the numbers equal 20, but Group B ranges from 10 to 30.
The statistic used to describe the spread of the numbers is called the variance. The
variance is the sum of the squares of the deviations from the mean divided by the total
number minus 1.
To do this, you subtract the mean from each number and then square it. After that, add
them up and divide by n - 1.
For example, the variance for Group A is:

You have probably also noticed that the numbers cover a different range. In Group A, all
the numbers equal 20, but Group B ranges from 10 to 30.
The statistic used to describe the spread of the numbers is called the variance. The
variance is the sum of the squares of the deviations from the mean divided by the total
number minus 1.
To do this, you subtract the mean from each number and then square it. After that, add
them up and divide by n - 1.
For example, the variance for Group A is:
[ (20 - 20)2 + (20 - 20)2 + (20 - 20)2 + (20 - 20)2 + (20 - 20)2 ] / (5 - 1) = 0.00
You can click on cell C69 to see the equation.

Group A
Height (cm)
20.0
20.0
20.0
20.0
20.0

mean
20.0
variance
0.00

What does it mean that the variance equals zero?

What are the units of the variance?
Next find the variance of Group B.
Group B
Height (cm)
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0

mean
20.0
variance
Check significant figures!

What's the variance for Group B?

What does that mean in words?
Instead of using the variance to look at the spread of the data, many people use what's
called the standard deviation.
The standard deviation is simply the square root of the variance.
So, the standard deviation for group B is 7.91.
Group B
Height (cm)
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0

mean
20.0
variance
62.5
standard deviation
7.91

Advanced Question:
Why do you think many people prefer using the standard deviation instead of the
variance? (hint: What are the units of the standard deviation?)

Click here to go to
Exercise 1

Click here to go back

to the beginning

Variance Exercise 1
Now let's calculate the mean and variance of some published data.
Below are chest and hip circumference measurements taken from 10 men. The data
is a subset from Benhke and Wilmore. 1974*.
Calculate the mean and variance of each type of measurement.
Chest circumference (cm)Hip circumference (cm)
100.5
99.8
101.1
105
103.9
99.5
98.3
98.3
104.9
102.7
79.3
85
97.3
101.9
88.6
85.3
95.5
91.6
101.8
101
mean

mean

variance

variance

Significant Figures!

A simple way to calculate the mean of chest circumference using Excel is to type
"=average(A11:A20)" in cell A23. Another way is to go to the Insert menu and click on
Function... Under Or select a category: choose Statistical. Then under Select a
function: click on AVERAGE. This will also tell you exactly what the function does
and how to use it.
Compare this to adding up each value and dividing by 10. Do you get the same
answer?
Variance of chest circumference can be calculated by typing "=var(A11:A20)" in cell
A25. You could also type "=var(" into cell A25 and then click-and-drag to select cells
A11 to A20. Then type ")" and press enter.
What is the correct unit for variance?

Now that you know how to use Excel to quickly calculate means and variances, find
the means and variances of chest and hip circumference for the full data set, all 252
men.
Hint: to calculate the mean chest circumference, enter "=average(A51:A302)" into cell
A305.
Chest circumference (cm)Hip circumference (cm)
93.1
94.5
93.6
98.7
95.8
99.2

101.8
97.3
104.5
105.1
99.6
100.9
99.6
101.5
103.6
102
104.1
101.3
99.1
101.9
107.6
106.8
106.2
103.3
111.4
86
86.7
90.2
89.6
88.6
97.4
93.5
97.4
100.5
93.5
93
111.7
117
118.5
106.5
105.6
136.2
114.8
128.3
106
113.3
106.6
85.1
96.6
88.2
89.8
92.3
83.4
90.2
89.2
89.7
93.3
87.6
107.6
100

101.2
101.9
107.8
100.3
97.1
99.9
104.1
98.2
107.7
103.9
108.6
100.1
99.2
105.2
107
102.4
109
104.9
104.8
94.6
93.4
95.8
96.5
85.3
94.7
88.5
98.7
99.8
100.6
94.5
108.3
116.1
113.8
106.2
104.8
147.7
102.5
125.6
115.5
114.1
106
88.2
97.2
88.5
92.7
90.4
87.2
98.3
91
89.1
91.6
88.6
99.6
102.5

111.5
115.4
104.8
112.3
102.9
107.6
105.3
105.3
103
90
95.4
89.3
94.4
97.6
88.5
93.6
87.7
93.4
91.6
91.6
102
96.4
102.7
97.7
97.1
103.1
101.8
101.4
98.9
97.5
104.3
97.3
96.7
99.7
101.9
97.2
106.6
99.6
113.2
99.1
99.4
95.1
107.5
106.5
99.1
96.7
103.5
104
93.1
105.2
110
110.1
97.8
96.3

105.8
97
99.6
103.1
100.8
99.4
99.7
108.3
104.2
93.9
91.8
96.1
94.3
98.5
95.5
96.3
88.6
93
94.8
94.3
98.3
99.3
100.2
97.1
96.9
99.6
95
96.2
96.2
96.9
93.8
99.3
98.3
102.2
100.6
95.4
100.6
101.4
107.5
102.4
96.2
92.8
103.7
101.7
98.3
98.3
101.6
99.5
96.6
103.6
100.7
102.1
100.6
99.3

108
99.7
93.5
100.7
97
96
99.2
95.4
101.8
104.3
99.2
99.3
94
98.9
101
98.7
95.9
103.9
96.2
97.8
94.6
103.6
100.4
98.4
104.6
92.9
97.8
98.3
104.7
98.6
99.5
102.7
92.1
96.6
92.7
102
110.9
92.3
114.1
92.9
108.3
88.5
94
101.1
92.1
105.6
98.5
88.7
101.1
94
103.8
98.9
89.2
111.4

103
98.6
99.8
97.5
92.6
99.7
96.4
104.3
101
104.1
101.4
97.5
95.2
94
100
98.5
93.2
99.5
97.8
95.8
99.1
103.2
92.3
98.4
102.1
95.6
100.6
98.3
107.7
101.6
99.3
98.9
93.9
102.5
95.3
110.1
106.2
92.1
113.9
93.5
114.4
91.1
95.2
105
98.3
106.4
102.5
89.8
99.3
91.5
105.1
103.5
89.6
108.8

107.5
99.1
108.2
114.9
99.1
92.2
90.8
100.5
98.2
115.3
96.8
92.6
119.2
102.7
109.5
108.5
79.3
95.5
92.3
98.9
89.5
117.5
107.4
109.2
103.4
91.4
115.2
104.9
106.7
92.2
101.6
97.8
92
94
103.7
102.7
91.1
107.2
100.8
121.6
105.6
100.6
102.7
99.8
92.9
91.2
115.6
98.3
103.7
98.7
119.8
92.8
93.3
106.8

104.5
95.6
106.8
111.9
98.1
92.8
89.2
98.7
99.9
114.4
89.2
96.4
113.9
101.9
109.9
109.8
85
91.6
96.1
95.5
98.1
108.8
104.1
101.8
103.1
92.3
112.4
102.7
111.8
96.5
100.6
96.2
101
99
94.2
99.2
96.9
105.5
102.6
107.1
102
100.1
101.7
91.8
94
89
109
99.1
104.2
96.1
112.8
96.3
94.4
105

93.9
99
119.9
94.2
92.7
106.9
88.8
101.7
105.3
104
98.6
99.6
103.4
100.2
94.9
97.2
104.7
104
117.6
95.8
106.4
93
119.6
119.7
115.8
118.3
97.4
113.7
89.2
108.5
111.1
108.3
112.4

94.5
96.2
105.5
95.6
91.9
98.2
87.5
97.1
106.6
98.4
97
90.1
100.7
97.8
100.2
94
93.7
101.1
111.8
94.5
100.5
87.6
114.3
109.1
109.8
101.6
94.4
110
88.8
104.5
101.7
97.8
107.1

mean

mean

variance

variance

Compare the means of chest and hip circumference. Are they similar or different?
Compare the variances. Are they similar or different?
Advanced Questions:
If you find that the variance of a measurement is large what does this tell you about
the worth of using the mean as an indicator of the typical measurement?
How could the variance be due to poor measuring protocols?

*Behnke, A.R. and Wilmore, J.H. (1974). _Evaluation and Regulation of Body

Build and Composition_, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

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