Calculation of Variance: MOSSOM

For a series of number i = 1,2,...,n the arithmetic mean is calculated as

        (xi) / n

And the variance (the mean squared deviation of each number from the sample mean) is calculated as


         2 [ - xi]2 / n

Modern PCs or hand-held calculators can calculate these values directly from the input series of numbers
xi. Mechanical desk calculators in use through the early 1970s required (1) entry and summation of xi, (2) calculation of , (3) re-entry of each xi and calculation of the difference from , and (4) running summation of the square of the difference, a tedious calculation involving repeated re-entry of . Early calculators simplify this slightly by storing in memory.

A more straightforward calculation recognizes that the variance is equal to the mean of squares, minus the square of means (mnemonic: MOSSOM), that is

         2 ( xi2 ) / n -   2

In this form, the variance is calculated with two passes of the numerical series, one a summation of x to obtain the mean, and the second a summation of x2.


In a simple example, the mean and variance of a series of four numbers 3, 1, 5, & 1 are

        (3 + 1 + 5 + 1) / 4   =   2.5

        [(2.5 - 3)2 + (2.5 - 1)2 + (2.5 - 5)2 + (2.5 - 1)2] / 4 = 2.75

alternatively by the MOSSOM formula,

        (32 + 12 + 52 + 12) /  4  - (2.5)2  = (36/4) - 6.25 = 2.75


Homework: Prove that [ - xi]2 / n = ( xi2 ) / n -   2


All text material ©2017 by Steven M. Carr