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The letters df, or a Greek nu, counting the values free to vary.
Also known as: df, Degrees of freedom symbol
Degrees of freedom count how many values in a calculation are free to vary once the constraints are imposed. They decide the shape of the distribution a test statistic is compared against, which is why a test result cannot be interpreted without them.
Denotes the number of independent values free to vary in a calculation, after the constraints imposed by the estimates already made.
Contexts: Mathematics
Determines which member of a distribution family a statistic is compared against. A chi-squared or t statistic quoted without its degrees of freedom cannot be interpreted.
The lower-case letters d and f set together, or a lower-case Greek nu, followed by a whole number.
A chi-squared statistic is only interpretable alongside its degrees of freedom.