PRC-2 · Chapter 8 · Question 60 of 60
Which specific statistical property dictates that the sum of the squared deviations of observations is mathematically minimized?
Test yourself: pick an answer
Reveal answer & explanation
Correct answer: C) When taken from the arithmetic mean.
Explanation
A core mathematical property of the arithmetic mean is that the sum of the squared deviations (∑(x - x̄)²) is always an absolute minimum when calculated directly from the mean compared to any other value.
More Statistical Measures of Data MCQs
- Q2Find the median of the following ungrouped data set: 14, 8, 22, 19, 5.
- Q3In a highly skewed distribution, which statistical measure of central tendency is typically considered the most robust and representative?
- Q4Group X consists of 40 items with a mean of 50. Group Y consists of 60 items with a mean of 70. What is the combined mean of the two groups?
- Q5If the calculated variance for a specific set of financial data is strictly 144, what is the standard deviation of that data?
- Q6What is the mathematical sum of the deviations of all individual observations from their arithmetic mean?