-
yellowho
- Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
- Posts: 233
- Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2007 3:51 pm
- Location: New York
- Thanked: 7 times
- Followed by:2 members
The SD of the population of 5 cities in 1975 is 30,000, what is the SD of the population of the 5 cities in 1985?
1) The total changes is 200,000 and the population of every city grew by at least 10,000.
Here you don't know because you don't know how much is added to each. Essentially there can be different numbers added to every element of the set.
2) The total population of each city grew by 10%
I know that if every number in a set is multiply by X then the new SD is just old SD times X.
However, I'm trying to reconcile that concept with the concept that you don't know the SD of the new set if you add different numbers to every element of the set. By multiplying by percentage, isn't that analogous to adding a different number to the set? The only time its not is if the set has all the same value, which case the SD is zero.
I know thats thinking is wrong but can someone elaborate on why that's wrong?
1) The total changes is 200,000 and the population of every city grew by at least 10,000.
Here you don't know because you don't know how much is added to each. Essentially there can be different numbers added to every element of the set.
2) The total population of each city grew by 10%
I know that if every number in a set is multiply by X then the new SD is just old SD times X.
However, I'm trying to reconcile that concept with the concept that you don't know the SD of the new set if you add different numbers to every element of the set. By multiplying by percentage, isn't that analogous to adding a different number to the set? The only time its not is if the set has all the same value, which case the SD is zero.
I know thats thinking is wrong but can someone elaborate on why that's wrong?












