If one uses N instead of N - 1 in the denominator of the equation for the sample standard deviation, one will underestimate the population standard deviation.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Using N instead of N - 1 in the denominator of the sample standard deviation formula typically results in a smaller value, which can underestimate the true population standard deviation. This is because using N - 1 (Bessel's correction) corrects the bias in the estimation of the population variance and standard deviation from a sample.

If One Uses N Instead of N - 1 in the Denominator