Final answer:
To calculate the sample variance, find the mean of the measurements and then calculate the sum of squared deviations from the mean divided by the number of measurements minus one.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the sample variance, follow these steps:
- Calculate the mean of the measurements: (1+2+3+4+5)/5 = **3**
- Subtract the mean from each measurement, square the result, and sum the squared deviations: (1-3)² + (2-3)² + (3-3)² + (4-3)² + (5-3)² = **10**
- Divide the sum of squared deviations by the number of measurements minus one: 10/(5-1) = **2.5**
Therefore, the sample variance of the measurements 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 is 2.5.