Degrees of freedom 2: what it means and how to read it
In the report: df2 — The second (denominator) degrees of freedom of the F statistic next to it.
How to read it
The second number in brackets after F: F(df1, df2). You report it, you do not interpret it.
In plain words
A teacher saw two small numbers, 2 and 147, next to the main result of her test. She had worked out the first one, and now she looked up the second one, df2, and found 147. Now she knows it is close to the number of pupils minus the number of groups, so 150 pupils in 3 groups give 147. She copies it into her report right after the first number and does not have to explain it. A reader who sees 147 can tell the study rested on about 150 pupils, not on 15.
Example
The cell with df2 is selected in each report; point at a label to see its note.
- — the sample data (50 rows) the examples use
- — two steps: x1,x2, then x added
=STATS_LINEAR(Data!A1:T51, "y", "x1,x2|x", 0) - —
=STATS_INDEPENDENT(Data!A1:T51, "y,x1", "welch",0.95) - — classic one-way ANOVA
=STATS_ANOVA(Data!A1:T51, "x1,x2")
Where you see it
STATS_LINEAR— Multiple linear regression (OLS) with hierarchical steps separated by | and interactions a*b.STATS_INDEPENDENT— Independent-samples t-test for two groups: the two selected columns are the groups.STATS_ANOVA— One-way ANOVA: each selected column is a group. Classic (Student) or Welch ANOVA, chosen by welch (auto by default), with homogeneity of variances and post-hoc comparisons.STATS_ANALYZE— Runs several analyses on one range and returns one report.
Related values
- Degrees of freedom — The degrees of freedom of the statistic next to it: how much independent information the estimate rests on.
- t statistic — A difference measured in standard errors; its sign is the sign of the difference. Its p comes from the t distribution with the degrees of freedom next to it.
- Likelihood-ratio chi-square — How much −2 Log Likelihood dropped compared with the model with the intercept only.
- Wald statistic — The Wald statistic of the coefficient: (B / StdError)². Empty when lambda is above 0.
- F change — The F test of R Square Change: whether the predictors added at this step explain more than chance. At the first step it equals the F of the model. Empty when the step entered no predictor (df1 = 0).
Get it in your sheet
One formula in a cell gives the whole report, Degrees of freedom 2 included. ALS Stats is a free add-on for Google Sheets™.
Install ALS Stats from Google Workspace Marketplace (opens in a new tab)