The standard deviation s is found from
s =
f.
[uu]
where [vv] = [ft 2 ] —
n
The class limit between the class intervals i— 1 and i is denoted b r Next the
expressions can be computed for all class limits. This expression means
the deviation between the class limit and the average x of the sample ex
pressed in units of the standard deviation s. The expression is denoted stand
ardized class limit. In the practical computation of the standardized class
limits, at least two decimals are usually required. The standardized class limits
are then used for the determination of the ideal number of values which should
fall within the class intervals if a theoretically strict normal distribution were
present. Consequently, the mathematical, expression for the normal distribu
tion must be used for further calculations.
If the class limits of the class interval i are denoted a and b, the number of
values which theoretically should fall within this interval can be expressed as
the product np t where n is the total number of values in the sample and p t is
a probability which can be determined from the normal distribution function
as follows:
b (t ~* )2 1
e " 2s 2 dt =
y 271
a
s
This function is tabulated in most textbooks on statistics and theory of errors.
From the tables, the values of p t can be determined for each class interval as
the differences between the upper and the lower limits. The theoretically
correct number of values which should fall within the actual class interval for
a strict normal distribution is then found as np { .
Next the differences between the theoretical class frequencies and the actual
class frequencies are computed as fi — np r
npi
standardized sum of the squares of the differences between the actual distri
bution and a theoretical normal distribution and will have a chi-square distri
bution if the assumed normal distribution of the sample is present. The sum
is, therefore, compared with the corresponding tabular value of the c/zi-square
distribution for a specific number of degrees of freedom and on a specific
level. In other words, the quality of agreement between the ideal normal