The same series smoothed with window 2 and window 4 — exact integer results for both, showing how window size trades responsiveness for smoothness and shifts the lag.

highlighted = computed this step

MA(2) vs MA(4) matrix

A narrower window defines more output values and reacts faster to changes. A wider window is smoother but lags further and has fewer defined positions.

window tradeoff\text{window tradeoff}
Window Tradeoff: MA(2) vs MA(4)tvaluema2ma4t14t286t31210t4487t5868t6467

Raw series (dot plot)

The raw series dots. Compare the defined ranges and peak positions between the two smoothers in the table above.

raw series\text{raw series}
Raw series — values over timetimevalue024681012144t18t212t34t48t54t6