2007-08-29 14:18:21 · 4 answers · asked by ElDarado05 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Mathematics
The answer is no, in general, and probably in the context you are referring to. For normally distributed data, the mean and SD are independent. Others may suggest that you need to know the mean in order to calculate the SD but that is not true. You simply need to know sum of the data and the sum of the squares of the data.
For other distributions, the SD may depend on the mean. Examples include the log normal and poisson distributions.
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2007-08-29 14:40:56 · answer #1 · answered by Math Chick 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is possible for two distributions with the same standard deviation to have very different means, so they are not inextricably linked.
However, you must know the mean to calculate the standard deviation.
2007-08-29 21:27:36 · answer #2 · answered by lithiumdeuteride 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Most certainly. To get the standard deviation you have to subtract the mean from each individual number, and the find the summation of the squares. Nothing is possible if you don't have the mean.
2007-08-29 21:24:33 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
No.
2007-08-29 21:25:10 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋