Question

when computing the standard deviation, does it matter whether the data are sample data or data comprising the entire population? explain.
yes. the formula for s is divided by n, while the formula for σ is divided by n - 1.
yes. the formula for s is divided by n - 1, while the formula for σ is divided by n.
no. the formula for both s and σ is divided by n - 1.
no. the formula for both s and σ is divided by n.

Explanation:

The standard - deviation formula for a sample is $s=\sqrt{\frac{\sum_{i = 1}^{n}(x_{i}-\bar{x})^{2}}{n - 1}}$, where $n$ is the sample size. The standard - deviation formula for a population is $\sigma=\sqrt{\frac{\sum_{i = 1}^{N}(x_{i}-\mu)^{2}}{N}}$, where $N$ is the population size. So, it matters whether the data are sample data or population data as the denominators in the formulas are different ($n - 1$ for sample and $N$ for population).

Answer:

Yes. The formula for $s$ is divided by $n - 1$, while the formula for $\sigma$ is divided by $N$.