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To calculate the standard deviation of a frequency distribution in Excel, first organize the data into a table with two columns: one for the categories or values and one for the corresponding frequencies. Then, use the formula =STDEV.P(range of frequencies) where “range of frequencies” refers to the cells containing the frequency data. This will give you the standard deviation of the distribution. Alternatively, you can use the built-in function STDEV.P(array) and input the entire frequency distribution as an array. The standard deviation is a measure of the spread or variability of the data and can help identify any outliers or unusual values.
Excel: Calculate Standard Deviation of Frequency Distribution
Often you may want to calculate the standard deviation of a frequency distribution in Excel.
For example, suppose you have the following frequency distribution:
The following step-by-step example shows how to calculate the standard deviation of this frequency distribution in Excel.
Step 1: Enter Values for Frequency Distribution
First, we’ll enter the class limits and frequency values for our frequency distribution:
Step 2: Calculate Mean of Frequency Distribution
We can use the following formula to estimate the mean of our frequency distribution:
Mean: Σmini / N
where:
- mi: The midpoint of the ith group
- ni: The frequency of the ith group
- N: The total sample size
To apply this formula in Excel, we will type the following formulas into cells D2, E2, and F2:
- D2: =AVERAGE(A2:B2)
- E2: =D2*C2
- F2: =SUM($E$2:$E$6)/SUM($C$2:$C$6)
We will then click and drag these formulas down to each remaining cell in each column:
Step 3: Calculate Standard Deviation of Frequency Distribution
Standard Deviation: √Σni(mi-μ)2 / (N-1)
where:
- ni: The frequency of the ith group
- mi: The midpoint of the ith group
- μ: The mean
- N: The total sample size
To apply this formula in Excel, we will type the following formulas into cells G2, H2, and I2:
- G2: =D2-F2
- H2: =G2^2
- I2: =C2*H2
We will then click and drag these formulas down to each remaining cell in each column:
Lastly, we can type the following formula into cell B8 to calculate the standard deviation of this frequency distribution:
=SQRT(SUM(I2:I6)/(SUM(C2:C6)-1))
The following screenshot shows how to use this formula in practice:
The standard deviation of this frequency distribution turns out to be 9.6377.
The following tutorials explain how to perform other common tasks in Excel:
Cite this article
stats writer (2024). How do you calculate the standard deviation of a frequency distribution in Excel?. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Retrieved from https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/how-do-you-calculate-the-standard-deviation-of-a-frequency-distribution-in-excel/
stats writer. "How do you calculate the standard deviation of a frequency distribution in Excel?." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 21 Jun. 2024, https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/how-do-you-calculate-the-standard-deviation-of-a-frequency-distribution-in-excel/.
stats writer. "How do you calculate the standard deviation of a frequency distribution in Excel?." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 2024. https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/how-do-you-calculate-the-standard-deviation-of-a-frequency-distribution-in-excel/.
stats writer (2024) 'How do you calculate the standard deviation of a frequency distribution in Excel?', PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Available at: https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/how-do-you-calculate-the-standard-deviation-of-a-frequency-distribution-in-excel/.
[1] stats writer, "How do you calculate the standard deviation of a frequency distribution in Excel?," PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, June, 2024.
stats writer. How do you calculate the standard deviation of a frequency distribution in Excel?. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. 2024;vol(issue):pages.