Interpreting Error Bars

Front

What does standard deviation indicate about a data set?

Back

Standard deviation shows how varied a data set is from the mean value.

Front

What does standard deviation not equal?

Back

Standard deviation does not equal the full range of the data.

Front

What is the purpose of error bars in a graph?

Back

Error bars represent the variability of data and indicate the uncertainty in measurements.

Front

How do you calculate the top of the error bar given the mean and standard deviation?

Back

Top of the error bar = Mean + Standard Deviation.

Front

How do you calculate the bottom of the error bar given the mean and standard deviation?

Back

Bottom of the error bar = Mean - Standard Deviation.

Front

If the mean is 84 cm and the standard deviation is 8 cm, what is the top of the error bar?

Back

92 cm.

Front

If the mean is 84 cm and the standard deviation is 8 cm, what is the bottom of the error bar?

Back

76 cm.

Front

What does a smaller standard deviation indicate about a data set?

Back

A smaller standard deviation indicates that the data points are closer to the mean, showing more precision.

Front

What does a larger standard deviation indicate about a data set?

Back

A larger standard deviation indicates that the data points are spread out over a wider range of values.

Front

What is standard error?

Back

Standard error is the standard deviation of the sampling distribution of a statistic, often used to indicate the precision of a sample mean.