Statistics Question - Find Standard Deviation of 5 numbers but only 4 given.

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the sample standard deviation for a set of five numbers, where only four deviations from the mean are provided. The original poster expresses confusion regarding the missing fifth value and its necessity for the calculation.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the relationship between the mean and the provided deviations, with suggestions to express the mean in terms of all five values. There is also a focus on understanding how to derive the missing fifth deviation from the existing information.

Discussion Status

Some participants have offered insights into how to approach the problem by expressing the mean in terms of the known values. The conversation is ongoing, with multiple interpretations being explored regarding the implications of the missing data.

Contextual Notes

The original poster notes a potential error in the problem setup due to the discrepancy between the stated sample size and the number of provided values. This raises questions about the assumptions underlying the problem.

JiHbE
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For a sample of size 5, if x1 - x̄ = -5, x2 - x̄ = 9, x3 - x̄ = -7, and x4 - x̄ = -2, then the sample standard deviation is:
Choose one answer.
a. 5.639
b. 6.782
c. None of the other answers are correct
d. 6.305
e. 6.066

Please note that x̄ is x-bar (mean of sample).


This question has been puzzling me. At first I thought there was an error because only 4 numbers are listed but it says there sample size is 5. But, this is a valid question.

So, I'm going to need the x5- x̄ value in order to calculate the standard deviation.
This is where I'm lost... could someone please provide some assistance?

Thank you so much for your time.
 
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Can you express the mean in terms of x1 to x5? Rewriting that equation a bit will give you x5 - xmean.
 
JiHbE said:
For a sample of size 5, if x1 - x̄ = -5, x2 - x̄ = 9, x3 - x̄ = -7, and x4 - x̄ = -2, then the sample standard deviation is:
Choose one answer.
a. 5.639
b. 6.782
c. None of the other answers are correct
d. 6.305
e. 6.066

Please note that x̄ is x-bar (mean of sample).

This question has been puzzling me. At first I thought there was an error because only 4 numbers are listed but it says there sample size is 5. But, this is a valid question.

So, I'm going to need the x5- x̄ value in order to calculate the standard deviation.
This is where I'm lost... could someone please provide some assistance?

Thank you so much for your time.
Hello JiHbE. Welcome to PF !

What is \ \ x_1+x_2+x_3+x_4+x_5-5\cdot\bar{x}\ ?
 
Can you tell me how you typed x-bar? :)

What I do know is that:

mean = (x1 + x2 + x3+ x4 + x5)/5

Therefore,

5mean = (x1 + x2 + x3 + x4 + x5)
 
JiHbE said:
Can you tell me how you typed x-bar? :)
You can see the code via the "quote" button in his post.

Therefore,

5mean = (x1 + x2 + x3 + x4 + x5)
Right. Now you can use your knowledge about ##x_1-\bar{x}## and so on.
 

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