Quartile Deviation (QD) Calculator

Use this unified calculator to find the quartile deviation (QD) for both ungrouped (raw) data and grouped (frequency distribution) data. QD measures the spread of the middle 50% of data as a relative measure.

Quick Start

Quartile Deviation Calculator
Data Type Ungrouped (Raw Data) Grouped (Frequency Distribution)
Enter the X Values (Separated by comma,)
Type of Frequency Distribution DiscreteContinuous
Enter the Classes for X (Separated by comma,)
Enter the frequencies (f) (Separated by comma,)
Results
Number of Observations (N):
Ascending order of X values:
First Quartile (Q₁):
Second Quartile (Q₂) / Median:
Third Quartile (Q₃):
Quartile Deviation (QD):
Coefficient of Quartile Deviation:

Understanding Quartile Deviation

QD measures the spread as half the interquartile range:

  • QD = (Q₃ - Q₁) / 2 = IQR / 2
  • Robust to outliers
  • Relative measure when coefficient is used
  • Represents average deviation from median

Coefficient of Quartile Deviation

$$CQD = \frac{Q_3 - Q_1}{Q_3 + Q_1}$$

This is a unitless measure ranging from 0 to 1.


Formulas

Quartile Deviation

$$QD = \frac{Q_3 - Q_1}{2}$$

Coefficient of Quartile Deviation

$$CQD = \frac{Q_3 - Q_1}{Q_3 + Q_1}$$

Where:

  • Q₁ = First quartile
  • Q₃ = Third quartile

Worked Examples

Example 1: Ungrouped Data

Data: 45, 52, 58, 63, 72, 81, 85, 90, 95

Q₁ = 55, Q₃ = 87.5

$$QD = \frac{87.5 - 55}{2} = \frac{32.5}{2} = 16.25$$

$$CQD = \frac{87.5 - 55}{87.5 + 55} = \frac{32.5}{142.5} = 0.228$$


Relationship to Other Measures

  • QD = IQR / 2
  • QD is the semi-interquartile range
  • CQD provides unitless comparison

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