Both variance and standard deviation measure variation in a set of numbers. When calculating variance, we square the distance each value is from the mean. For example, if the mean is 15 and the data point is 11, we take the distance the data point is from the mean (15-11 = 4) and then we square the distance (4 x 4 = 16). However, 11 and 15 are not 16 units apart. So, why are we squaring the distance? Doesn't that just make the distance look larger than it really is?