In descriptive statistics, the square of the standard deviation is called the:

• A. Standard error
• B. Variance
• C. Coefficient of variation
• D. Mean

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the definitions of the terms involved: The standard deviation is a measure of the spread or dispersion of a set of data points around the mean.
2. Recall that the variance is defined as the average of the squared differences from the mean, which mathematically is the square of the standard deviation.
3. Express this relationship using the formula: \(\text{Variance} = (\text{Standard Deviation})^2\).
4. Recognize that the standard error is related to the standard deviation but measures the variability of a sample mean estimate, not the square of the standard deviation.
5. Conclude that the term for the square of the standard deviation is the variance.