What's the standard deviation of values in the histogram bar

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on calculating the standard deviation of values within a histogram bar, specifically when ##n## entries occur randomly within a total of ##x## measurements. Participants clarify that ##k## represents the class width of the histogram bar, with an expectation value of ##n##. The variance is expressed as ##\frac{1}{n}\Sigma(k_i - n)^2##, assuming independent measurements across the interval. The confusion arises from the terminology and the interpretation of ##k## as a range rather than a specific value.

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Homework Statement


If one bar of a histogram has been generated with ##n## entries from a total of ##x## measurements, i.e. the event occurs randomly ##n## times in the ##x## event interval, then what is the standard deviation of values in this bar? Let ##k## be the range of values that could have been measured for this particular bar of the histogram, and assume that the expectation value of ##k## is ##n##.

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The Attempt at a Solution


I'm finding the wording tricky to understand. ##n## is the number of events in the interval, and the average value of ##k## is also ##n##? The variance is the square of the distance from the mean and if all the events were equally likely, I'd divide by ##n## and have something like
##\frac{1}{n}\Sigma(k_i - n)^2##
But I'm not sure that's what it means when it says the event occurs randomly a total of ##n## times. I'd really appreciate any hints on how to tackle this, thanks for any help!
 
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It is strange to define k as a range. The range should be 0 to x.

I guess you have to assume that the x measurements are independent.
 
mfb said:
It is strange to define k as a range. The range should be 0 to x.

I guess you have to assume that the x measurements are independent.
Would you say then that ##k## is the class width of the single histogram bar being considered? That's how I've interpreted it. I also thought it would be quite a strange coincidence if the number of events ##n## recorded, which corresponds to the area of the bar, happened to be also the average value of ##k##. Which is what I take all the above to mean.

I think the wording is very confusing, but I've written it as it was given to us.
 

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