Variance Calculator
Calculate the variance and standard deviation of numbers. Supports CSV/Excel format data import.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is variance?
Variance measures how spread out numbers are from their average. It's the average of the squared differences from the mean. A higher variance indicates more spread in the data.
What is standard deviation?
Standard deviation is the square root of variance. It measures the average distance of data points from the mean, expressed in the same units as the original data.
When should I use variance vs standard deviation?
Use standard deviation when you want to understand spread in the same units as your data. Use variance for mathematical calculations or when working with multiple datasets.
What's the difference between population and sample variance?
Population variance divides by N (total count), while sample variance divides by N-1. This calculator computes population variance by default, which is appropriate when you have complete data.
How do I interpret the results?
Lower variance/standard deviation means data points are closer to the average (less spread). Higher values indicate more variability in your dataset.