The mean is the total ÷ the number of values, the median is the middle value in order and the mode is the most common value. The range is the largest − the smallest.
Choose the right average. The mean uses every value, but one very large or small value can pull it a long way. The median is not affected much by extreme values. The mode is best for non-number data, like favorite colors.
Worked example
Find the median of 11, 9, 20, 2, 14, 6
- Order: 2, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20.
- Two middle values, 9 and 11: halfway is 10.
Answer:10
Key words
- outlier
- a value far from the rest
- median
- the middle value in order
- representative
- a good summary of the data
Practise this
New questions every time.
Common Core-referenced: 7.SP.B.4