Univariate

The term univariate comes from the field of mathematics and is used with the opposite meaning in the statistics.

• 2.1 Example

Use in mathematics

In mathematics, univariate refers to an equation, an expression or a function, each depending only on one variable. In contrast, the term is used multivariate if an expression is dependent on more than one variable, in the special case of two variables sometimes bivariate.

Example

A function is a bivariate, if it contains exactly two undetermined variables (for example ).

A function is multivariate, if it contains several undetermined variables (for example ).

Using the statistics

Within the statistics expresses univariate that the considered measure is one-dimensional, even if it depends on several variables. This is especially the case when the measured variable is the one-dimensional dependent variable of a random experiment or the characteristic value of a one-dimensional random variable. The observations may be displayed individually.

Accordingly, multivariate expresses that the measured variable is multidimensional ( multivariate distribution, multivariate methods ), and bivariate, that the measured variable is two-dimensional ( bivariate distribution). The observations can then be displayed either in the form of a vector, or by a plurality of one-dimensional measurements.

Example

Looking to be the case that you measure each body size and weight of different subjects.

If we examine separately these two quantities by example calculates the average of the weight or the average height of all subjects, it involves univariate analyzes.

Considering, however, the height and the weight of each person along and wants to describe, for example, by a bivariate distribution, it is a bivariate analysis, as the measure is two-dimensional (height along with weight ).

• Statistical fundamental concept