Standard Deviation in One Direction

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on calculating standard deviation for time measurements, specifically when dealing with a boundary at zero. The user questions the validity of a standard deviation of 5000 microseconds when the average is only 4000 microseconds, highlighting the issue of negative values in time calculations. They inquire about alternative measures, such as one-directional standard deviation or semi-infinite interval distributions, and mention the interquartile range as a potentially better descriptor for skewed distributions.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of standard deviation and its calculation
  • Familiarity with statistical distributions, particularly those with boundaries
  • Knowledge of interquartile range and its application in data analysis
  • Basic concepts of skewness in probability distributions
NEXT STEPS
  • Research one-directional standard deviation techniques
  • Explore semi-infinite interval probability distributions
  • Learn about the interquartile range and its advantages over standard deviation
  • Investigate skewness and its impact on statistical measures
USEFUL FOR

Statisticians, data analysts, and researchers dealing with time-based data measurements, particularly those facing challenges with boundary conditions in their datasets.

andrewcheong
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I need to calculate the average time of an event, and I'd like to calculate standard deviation as well. The problem is - there is no such thing as negative time - zero is a boundary - so how does it make sense if the average is 4000us (microseconds) and the stdev is 5000us?

Is there a different measure that I should be using when there is a boundary on one-side, like some sort of a one-directional standard deviation? "Semi-infinite interval" comes to mind, and I Wikipedia'ed such probability distributions for more information, but I'm not sure what to make of it.

Thanks in advance!
 
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Do you have a distribution in mind that actually does that? Sometimes if the distribution is badly skewed the interquartile range gives a better description than the standard deviation.
 

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