| ||||||||||||||||||
Standard Deviation
To gain access to this window, select the menu item File / Standard
Deviation. The following image shows this window at its minimum
width.
Entering the Data
For each value, enter it into the box labelled 'X ='
and hit the 'Enter' key. The value will be transferred to the list box, and the
focus will remain on the data entry box. You can therefore quickly enter a lot
of data by using the numeric key pad.
If you wish to change an item you have already entered, click on it in the list, using the right-hand mouse button. The item you clicked on will be underlined and a pop-up menu will appear. If you select 'Change', the value will be copied back to the entry box. Change the value and hit 'Enter'. The value will be updated in the list box.
A right click in the list box also lets you delete data, or sort it into numerical order. For more information, see: Data Entry control
Apart from its main use in calculating standard deviation and related properties of the data, this window also provides a convenient means of simply adding up a list of numbers.
Commas
Do not insert commas into numbers. For example, to enter a value of one million, do not enter 1,000,000 but instead use either 1000000 or 1e6. See numbers.
Calculating
Calculation is performed automatically whenever the data is changed. If there is only one item of data, some calculations are not possible, and will be marked accordingly.
When the window is widened, many other calculated values are shown. The various items can be moved around by dragging their captions. It is a good idea to move all items of interest to the left, so that the window can be resized to hide the right-hand columns of unwanted items. The original ordering can be restored quickly by clicking on the 'abc' icon (the second from the left at the botom).
Notice that the data you enter need not be just numbers – you can enter any valid expressions. The values are always calculated from top to bottom.
Data Transformations
UltimaCalc can apply a transformation to your data values before calculating with them.
To specify a transformation, double click the 'X =' label.
A small window will open to allow you to choose from a set of predefined
transformations, or to enter your own. If the mouse cursor rests over this
label or the input box, a tool tip window will show you the transformation
currently in use, if any.
Copy and Log
The 'Copy to Clipboard' button will copy the data and calculated values to the Windows clipboard. The 'Log' button will add these to the log file and will then be inactivated until the data is changed. Note that only the values that are visible will be included. This helps to avoid clutter.
Notes
Click on the 'Notes' button to record notes for the data, or to view these notes.
Open, Save, Save As
Use these buttons to save the data and notes as a plain text file and load the data in again later.
Erasing the Data
To erase all the data, click on the Erase button. You may be prompted to save your data before it is erased, and you will be asked to confirm the erasing.