noun
deviation; deflection; variation
Technical term used in statistics, engineering, and physics to describe the amount by which a value differs from a reference or expected value. Common in compounds like 標準偏差 (standard deviation).
標準偏差はデータのばらつきを示す指標です。
Standard deviation is an indicator that shows the spread of data.
この計器の偏差を補正する必要がある
It is necessary to correct the deviation of this instrument.
Compound of 偏 (へん, 'biased, inclined') and 差 (さ, 'difference'). The term was likely coined in the Meiji period as a translation for Western scientific concepts like 'deviation'.