Given that the variance for a data set is 1.20 , what is the standard deviation?

To find the standard deviation, you simply take the square root of the variance. So, for a variance of 1.20, the standard deviation would be √1.20, which is approximately 1.095. This means that, on average, the values in your data set deviate from the mean by about 1.095 units, making it a handy number to understand the spread of your data! But here’s a fun fact: standard deviation is so widely used in statistics that it often appears in finance, research, and even sports analytics! For instance, sports analysts examine the standard deviation of players' performances to gauge consistency. The smaller the standard deviation, the more consistent a player is likely to be, which can be crucial for making strategic decisions.