If you subtracted the mean from each score in a distribution, squared the differences, and then added the squared differences, the sum would be________.
A) zero.
B) less than zero.
C) a minimum.
D) a maximum.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When you subtract the mean from each score in a distribution, square the differences, and sum them up, you get the sum of squared deviations from the mean, which is minimized, not maximized, because the mean is the value that minimizes this sum. This is a fundamental concept in statistics, particularly in the context of variance and standard deviation calculations.

If You Subtracted the Mean from Each Score in a Distribution