Coefficient of Variation

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Calculate

Example: the weight of five calves, in kg, and of five eggs, in g. The standard deviations are in different units and don't compare. Which varies more, in relative terms? Change the values to work out your own case; leave the second group blank to analyse just one.

Values of group 1 Separated by spaces or commas. Values of group 2 (optional) Blank: group 1 only.

Step by step

What each term means

Coefficient of Variation (CV): The spread of the data as a percentage of the mean. Unitless, it lets you compare the variability of things measured on different scales.
Standard Deviation (s): How far the values spread around the mean, in the units of the data.
Mean (x̄): The yardstick: a 2 kg deviation is a lot for a mean weight of 5 kg and little for 500 kg. Dividing by the mean puts the spread in proportion to the size.
As a Percentage (× 100%): It only changes how it is written: 0.08 becomes 8%. Spread below 15% is often called low and above 30% high, but the yardstick depends on the field.