How does the population variance and sample variance differ?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The primary difference between population variance and sample variance lies in the denominator of their respective formulas. For population variance, the denominator is the total number of observations in the population (N). For sample variance, to correct for the bias in estimating a population parameter from a sample, the denominator is the total number of observations in the sample minus one (n-1). This adjustment makes the sample variance slightly larger on average than the population variance when calculated from the same set of data, not smaller as stated in B. However, the correct explanation is that B is incorrect in suggesting population variance will always be smaller; the distinction is actually in the formula used to calculate them.

How Does the Population Variance and Sample Variance Differ