Undergrad What is this formula measuring error?

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The formula in question measures error but exhibits issues for data sets centered around zero, leading to inconsistent behavior as sample size increases. It scales differently compared to standard deviation and standard error, raising concerns about its reliability. The user seeks clarification on its derivation and a more detailed description. A link to the Coefficient of Variation on Wikipedia is provided as a potentially useful resource. Understanding this formula's limitations is crucial for accurate data analysis.
crashcat
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I came across this formula that measures the distribution of measurements, but it makes no sense to me and I hope someone can explain it to me.
Variance and standard deviation and other measures of error I understand. This formula doesn't behave well for data sets centered around zero and also has other problems, like scaling differently as N increases than the standard deviation or standard error. Does anyone recognize this and can point me to a description or derivation? $$\frac{1}{\bar{x}}\sqrt{\frac{n\sum{x^2}-(\sum{x})^2}{n(n-1)}}$$
 
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First trick I learned this one a long time ago and have used it to entertain and amuse young kids. Ask your friend to write down a three-digit number without showing it to you. Then ask him or her to rearrange the digits to form a new three-digit number. After that, write whichever is the larger number above the other number, and then subtract the smaller from the larger, making sure that you don't see any of the numbers. Then ask the young "victim" to tell you any two of the digits of the...

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