variance

(vâr'ē-əns, văr'-)
n.

1. 1. The act of varying.
   2. The state or quality of being variant or variable; a variation.
   3. A difference between what is expected and what actually occurs.
2. The state or fact of differing or of being in conflict. See synonyms at discord.
3. Law.
   1. A discrepancy between two statements or documents in a proceeding.
   2. License to engage in an act contrary to a usual rule: a zoning variance.
4. Statistics. The square of the standard deviation.
5. Chemistry. The number of thermodynamic variables, such as temperature and pressure, required to specify a state of equilibrium of a system, given by the phase rule.

idiom:

at variance

1. In a state of discrepancy; differing: The facts are at variance with your story.

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The phrase at variance should be followed by with, not from:

The pace at which strategy was being implemented was at variance with the quick decision-making this business requires—Guardian, 2006.

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noun

1. The condition or fact of varying: difference, variation. See change/persist, same/different/compare.
2. A state of disagreement and disharmony: clash, conflict, confrontation, contention, difference, difficulty, disaccord, discord, discordance, dissension, dissent, dissentience, dissidence, dissonance, faction, friction, inharmony, schism, strife, war, warfare. See conflict/cooperation.

n

Definition: difference
Antonyms: agreement

σ

The average of the squares of the deviations from the arithmetic mean of a data set. It is a statistic which represents the extent to which a set of observations, for example, of annual rainfall over a series of years, spreads about the mean. Where the observations are closely grouped, the variance is low. See standard deviation.

A written authorization, from the responsible agency, permitting construction in a manner which is not allowed by code or other regulations.

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A measure of the extent to which interval values are clustered around a mean. Variance is calculated by averaging the squared deviations from the mean, and in so doing it takes into account both negative values and the occurrence of unusually high and unusually low values. A low variance indicates high homogeneity and high variance low homogeneity of data.

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

The discrepancy between what a party to a lawsuit alleges will be proved in pleadings and what the party actually proves at trial.

In zoning law, an official permit to use property in a manner that departs from the way in which other property in the same locality can be used.

The term variance is used both in litigation and in zoning law. In both instances it has the general meaning of a difference or divergence.

A party to a civil lawsuit or a prosecutor in a criminal trial must prove the allegations set forth in a complaint, indictment, or information. If there is a substantial difference or discrepancy between the allegations and the proof offered in support, a variance exists. For example, if the crime of robbery is alleged and the crime of burglary is proved instead, the failure of proof on the robbery charge constitutes a variance that will lead to the dismissal of the case.

Most U.S. communities have zoning laws that control and direct the development of property within their borders according to its present and potential uses. Typically, a community is divided into zoning districts based on the type of use permitted: residential, commercial, and industrial. Additional restrictions may limit population density and building height within these districts. A variance is an exception to one or more of the zoning restrictions on a piece of property.

A variance is different from a nonconforming use, which permits existing structures and uses to continue when zoning is first instituted. Once a zoning plan has been established, a property owner who wishes to diverge from it must seek a variance from the municipal government. The variance will be granted when "unnecessary hardship" would result to the landowner if it were denied. Although other forms of administrative relief from zoning restrictions are available, such as rezoning the area, variances are most frequently used.

There are two types of variances: area variances and use variances. An area variance is usually not controversial because it is generally granted due to some odd configuration of the lot or some peculiar natural condition that prevents normal construction in compliance with zoning restrictions. For example, if the odd shape of a lot prevents a house from being set back the minimum number of feet from the street, the municipality will usually relax the requirement.

Use variances are more controversial because they attempt a change in the permitted use. For example, if a lot is zoned single-family residential, a person who wishes to build a multifamily dwelling must obtain a variance. Residents of an area will generally object to applications for variances that seek to change the character of their neighborhood. Although the municipality may heed these objections, it will likely grant the variance if it believes unnecessary hardship would result without the variance. If, however, the owner seeking a variance for a multifamily dwelling bought the property with notice of the current zoning restrictions, the variance will probably be denied. Applicants for a variance cannot argue hardship based on actions they commit that result in self-induced hardship.

If many use variances are sought in a particular area on the basis of unique or peculiar circumstances, it may be a sign that the entire neighborhood needs to be rezoned rather than forcing property owners to seek variances in a piecemeal fashion. Properly used, variances provide a remedy for hardships affecting a single lot or a relatively small area.

See: land-use control; setback.

The degree of spread between the distribution of count values in a statistical array. The standard deviation is the square root of the variance. See Analysis of Variance.

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a measure of the dispersion of a population, the mean square average of the deviations from the mean. It is the square of the standard deviation, σ, of that population.

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One of the measures of the dispersion of data; the mean squared deviation of a set of values from the mean.

• additive genetic v. — that portion of phenotypic variance which is due to the additive effect of genes (V_A).
• analysis of v. — a statistical method for comparing values, expressed in terms of means or variance, of one or more variables in several subgroups of a population. Called also anova.
• non-additive genetic v. — that portion of phenotypic variance which is due to epistatic interactions (V_I) and dominance deviations (V_D).
• non-genetic v. — that portion of phenotypic variance which is due to non-genetic effects such as environment (V_E).
• phenotypic v. — a measure of the extent to which individuals vary in their phenotype (V_P). V_P = V_A + V_D + V_I + V_E.
• v. ratio distribution — see f distribution.

For a list of words related to variance, see:

• Quantities, Relationships, and Operations - variance: in statistics, the square of the standard deviation
• Real Estate Practice - variance: exception permitting noncompliance with normal building codes
• Opposition, Disagreement, and Attack - variance: disagreement, dispute, or quarrel

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See words rhyming with "variance."

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - varians, forandring, strid, uoverensstemmelse

idioms:

• be at variance with    være i strid med

Nederlands (Dutch)
tegenstrijdigheid, verschil, tegenspraak, variatie, variantie (statistiek), vergunning om iets tegen de regels te doen

Français (French)
n. - (gén) désaccord, (Math, Phys, Stat) variance, (Jur) discordance

idioms:

• at variance    diverger, ne pas concorder, (être) en désaccord avec

Deutsch (German)
n. - Uneinigkeit, Abweichung, Varianz

idioms:

• at variance    jmds. Meinung nicht teilen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - διαφωνία, διαφορά, διάσταση, αντίφαση

idioms:

• be at variance with    διαφωνώ με

Italiano (Italian)
variazione, disaccordo, scostamento, varianza

idioms:

• be at variance with    essere in disaccordo con

Português (Portuguese)
n. - divergência (m), discórdia (f), variação (f), variância (Mat.)

idioms:

• be at variance with    estar em desacordo

Русский (Russian)
изменение, расхождение, спор, дисперсия

idioms:

• be at variance with    идти вразрез с чем-л.

Español (Spanish)
n. - desavenencia, discrepancia

idioms:

• at variance    estar en desacuerdo con, ser diferente

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - oenighet, motsägelse, växling, variation

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
不一致, 变异, 变化

idioms:

• be at variance with    与...不一致, 与...不相符合

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 不一致, 變異, 變化

idioms:

• be at variance with    與...不一致, 與...不相符合

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 변화 , 불일치, 평방 편차

idioms:

• be at variance with    ~와 사이가 나빠, 일치되지 않아, 모순되어

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 変化, 変動, 分散, 分散量, 相違, 不和

idioms:

• be at variance with    不和で, 矛盾して

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) خلاف, اختلاف, تباين‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮שינוי, ניגוד, מחלוקת‬

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