Which measure of dispersion is least affected by sample size?RangeVarianceCoefficient of VariationMean Deviation

To determine which measure of dispersion is least affected by sample size, let's analyze the characteristics of each option:

1. Range: This is the difference between the maximum and minimum values in a dataset. The range can be significantly affected by outliers or extreme values, but it does not directly depend on sample size.

2. Variance: Variance measures the average squared deviation from the mean. While it can vary with sample size, larger samples tend to yield more stable estimates. However, variance calculation is sensitive to extreme values.

3. Coefficient of Variation: This is a standardized measure of dispersion relative to the mean and is affected by sample size since it involves the mean of the dataset, which can vary with different sizes.

4. Mean Deviation: Also known as the average absolute deviation, the mean deviation is sensitive to sample size because it measures how the data points deviate from the mean, which changes with sample size.

Conclusion:

Among the options, Range is the measure of dispersion that is least affected by sample size, though it is somewhat sensitive to extreme values in the dataset. Thus, it remains relatively stable regardless of how many samples are included.

Final Answer:

Range is least affected by sample size.