Question

Division by N-1 in the standard deviation formula is recommended because

a) calculations are simplified
b) rounding errors are eliminated
c) the resulting value is an unbiased estimator
d) you should be required to sweat

Answer 1

The division by n-1 in the standard deviation formula is recommended because it provides an unbiased estimate of the population variance.

Step-by-step explanation:

The division by n-1 in the standard deviation formula is recommended because it provides an unbiased estimate of the population variance. When we calculate the average of the squared deviations for a sample, dividing by n-1 instead of n gives a better estimate of the population variance. This is based on the theoretical mathematics that underlies these calculations.