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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
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Variance vs variation

Can someone illuminate the difference between these two words (outside of statistics anyway)?
My sense is that "variance" has more to do with the range and "variation" individual changes within it.
But if anyone has a better sense...
  

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[nq:1]Can someone illuminate the difference between these two words (outside of statistics anyway)? My sense is that "variance" has more to do with the range and "variation" individual changes within it. [/nq] I may have been influenced by the statistical usage, but I think of "variance" as a measure or a qualitative description of the "variation" in a group or population.

— Usenet

  • [nq:1]Can someone illuminate the difference between these two words (outside of statistics anyway)?
  • My sense is that "variance" has more to do with the range and "variation" individual changes within it.
  • [/nq] I may have been influenced by the statistical usage, but I think of "variance" as a measure or a qualitative description of the "variation" in a group or population.
  • In other words "variance" tends to be an abstraction or generalization of the more concrete "variation".
  • "Variance" can also be used to mean something like "discrepancy" or "disagreement", but "variation" rarely, if ever.
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1 Answers
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[nq:1]Can someone illuminate the difference between these two words (outside of statistics anyway)? My sense is that "variance" has more to do with the range and "variation" individual changes within it. But if anyone has a better sense...[/nq]
I may have been influenced by the statistical usage, but I think of "variance" as a measure or a qualitative description of the "variation" in a group
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