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QuanTAlib/lib/statistics/variance/Variance.md
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Miha Kralj 33d20f2a18 feat(dynamics): add PlusDI, MinusDI, PlusDM, MinusDM indicators
Complete thin Dx-composition wrapper indicators with full test coverage:

- PlusDi/MinusDi: Directional Indicator wrappers (DiPlus/DiMinus from Dx)
- PlusDm/MinusDm: Directional Movement wrappers (DmPlus/DmMinus from Dx)
- Individual validation tests per indicator directory (TALib, Skender, bounds)
- Combined unit tests (DiDm.Tests.cs) and validation tests (DiDm.Validation.Tests.cs)
- Quantower wrappers + tests for all 4 indicators
- PineScript v6 implementations with compensated RMA
- Normalized .md documentation for all indicators and categories
- 182 tests passing, 0 failures
2026-03-11 20:21:52 -07:00

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Markdown

# Variance (VAR)
> *Volatility is the price of admission for high returns.*
| Property | Value |
| ---------------- | -------------------------------- |
| **Category** | Statistic |
| **Inputs** | Source (close) |
| **Parameters** | `period`, `isPopulation` (default false) |
| **Outputs** | Single series (Variance) |
| **Output range** | Varies (see docs) |
| **Warmup** | `period` bars |
| **PineScript** | [variance.pine](variance.pine) |
- Variance measures how far a set of numbers is spread out from their average value.
- Parameterized by `period`, `ispopulation` (default false).
- Output range: Varies (see docs).
- Requires `period` bars of warmup before first valid output (IsHot = true).
- Validated against TA-Lib, Skender, and Tulip reference implementations where available.
Variance measures how far a set of numbers is spread out from their average value. In finance, it is a key measure of volatility and risk.
## Historical Context
Variance is a fundamental concept in statistics, formalized by Ronald Fisher in 1918. In finance, it gained prominence with Modern Portfolio Theory (Markowitz, 1952), where it serves as the standard measure of risk.
## Architecture & Physics
The Variance indicator uses a sliding window (RingBuffer) to maintain the last `N` data points. It calculates the variance using an O(1) running sum of squares algorithm, ensuring constant time complexity regardless of the period length.
### O(1) Calculation
The algorithm maintains two running sums:
1. Sum of values ($\sum x$)
2. Sum of squared values ($\sum x^2$)
When a new value enters and an old value leaves:
$$ \sum x_{new} = \sum x_{old} - x_{out} + x_{in} $$
$$ \sum x^2_{new} = \sum x^2_{old} - x^2_{out} + x^2_{in} $$
This avoids iterating over the entire window for each update.
## Mathematical Foundation
Variance ($\sigma^2$ or $s^2$) is defined as:
### Population Variance (N)
$$ \sigma^2 = \frac{\sum_{i=1}^{N} (x_i - \mu)^2}{N} $$
Using the computational formula:
$$ \sigma^2 = \frac{\sum x^2 - \frac{(\sum x)^2}{N}}{N} $$
### Sample Variance (N-1)
$$ s^2 = \frac{\sum_{i=1}^{N} (x_i - \bar{x})^2}{N-1} $$
Using the computational formula:
$$ s^2 = \frac{\sum x^2 - \frac{(\sum x)^2}{N}}{N-1} $$
Where:
* $N$ is the period.
* $\mu$ or $\bar{x}$ is the mean.
## Performance Profile
### Operation Count (Streaming Mode)
Variance uses Welford-style running sums of x and x^2 for exact O(1) update (no sqrt needed).
| Operation | Count | Cost (cycles) | Subtotal |
| :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: |
| Ring buffer add/evict | 1 | 3 cy | ~3 cy |
| Update sum_x and sum_x2 | 2 | 2 cy | ~4 cy |
| Compute variance via shortcut formula | 1 | 5 cy | ~5 cy |
| NaN guard + state update | 1 | 2 cy | ~2 cy |
| **Total** | **O(1)** | — | **~14 cy** |
O(1) per update. Slightly faster than StdDev (no sqrt). Periodic resync prevents floating-point drift in long series where sum_x2 >> (sum_x)^2/N.
| Metric | Score | Notes |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| **Throughput** | 5 ns/bar | O(1) complexity using running sums. |
| **Allocations** | 0 | Zero-allocation in hot path. |
| **Complexity** | O(1) | Constant time update. |
| **Accuracy** | 9 | High accuracy, though running sums can accumulate floating point errors over very long periods (mitigated by periodic resync if needed, though not strictly implemented here as window is finite). |
## Validation
| Library | Status | Notes |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| **Skender** | ✅ | Matches `StdDev^2` (Sample Variance). |
| **TA-Lib** | ✅ | Matches `VAR` (Population Variance usually, check specific implementation). |
## Usage
```csharp
using QuanTAlib;
// Create a 20-period Sample Variance indicator
var variance = new Variance(20, isPopulation: false);
// Update with a new value
var result = variance.Update(new TValue(DateTime.UtcNow, 100.0));
// Access the last calculated value
Console.WriteLine($"Variance: {variance.Last.Value}");