interactive example

Recall that we think of the mean as the “average” data value and the median as the 50th percentile, the value that splits the data in half. If needed, you may return to Calculating the Mean and Median of a Data Set: What to Know for a refresher of these interpretations of mean and median.

Example: Let’s say the mean of a data set is given as 10.5 and the median as 11. Which of the following statements are true? Explain.

1. The median tells us a typical value for this data set. That is, if we took all the values and spread them evenly about, each value would be about 11.
2. About half the data values fall below 11 and half fall above.
3. The most common data value appearing is 10.5.
4. A typical data value for this set is 10.5. That is, if we distributed the sum of all the values evenly, each value would be about 10.5.