The amount spent on textbooks for the fall term was recorded for a sample of five university students - $400, $350, $600, $525, and $450. Calculate the value of the sample standard deviation
For the data.
A)$250
B)$450
C)$99.37
D)$98.75

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The sample standard deviation is calculated using the formula: sqrt[Σ(xi - x̄)² / (n-1)], where xi represents each value, x̄ is the mean of the sample, and n is the number of observations. First, find the mean: (400 + 350 + 600 + 525 + 450) / 5 = 465. Then, calculate each deviation from the mean, square it, sum those squares, divide by n-1 (which is 4), and finally take the square root. Doing this gives a sample standard deviation of approximately $99.37.

The Amount Spent on Textbooks for the Fall Term Was