Summation
Introduction to Summation Notation
Many statistical formulas involve summing numbers.
There exists a convenient notation for expressing summation.
Basic Notation of Summation
The variable x represents weights in grams of four grapes.
Grape one's weight is referred to as x₁.
Grape two's weight is referred to as x₂.
Grape three's weight is referred to as x₃.
Grape four's weight is referred to as x₄.
Summation Expression
The sum of the four weights is expressed in summation notation.
The Greek letter sigma (Σ) indicates the operation of summation.
The notation Σ indicates:
Bottom Index (I = 1): The summation starts with the first variable (x₁).
Top Index (4): The summation ends with the fourth variable (x₄).
Therefore, the summation notation can be interpreted as:
This means to sum x₁, x₂, x₃, and x₄.
The actual weights are:
x₁ = 4.6
x₂ = 5.1
x₃ = 4.9
x₄ = 4.4
Calculation of the Sum
The total sum of the weights of the grapes:
Specific Summation Notation
A different expression can sum only the first three values.
Index variable I goes from 1 to 3.
Alternatively, when no index values are shown, it indicates the sum of all values:
implies summing all x values.
Squaring Values Before Summation
It is important to note that many formulas involve squaring numbers before they are summed.
This notation indicates:
Each value of x is squared first and then summed.
It matters if you sum the values first and then square or square first and then sum.
Example of squaring the sum:
This expression equates to:
Example for summing squares:
produces:
For example, the sum of squares could be .
Application of Cross Products in Summation
Some formulas also involve the sum of cross products.
A table showing data for two variables, X and Y, is used.
The third column represents the cross products (x times y).
The sum of the cross products for these variables is:
Total = 28
The corresponding formula using summation notation is:
This denotes the total of all cross-products of x and y.