Question

Please compare the mean and the median. What is the main difference between the two? Please construct an example of when it would be helpful to calculate the mean, and another example illustrating when it would be helpful to calculate the median.

Posts should be approximately 100 words.

Answer 1

difference between mean and median are as follows

mean is a average of the given set of values or observations	median refers to the middle value of the given set of values or observations
it is a arithmetic average	it is a positive average
Mean is calculated by adding up all the observations and then dividing the value obtained with the number of observations.	To calculate median, the data set is arranged in ascending or descending order, then the value that falls in the exact middle of the new data set, is median.
it represents average of given set of data	it represents  mid-point of data set

mean formula =x/n

example for mean

given observations

12.10,2,6,9,8

x=set of observations

n=no of observations

mean =12+10+2+6+9+8/6

=47/6

=7.8

1) median formula= n+1/2 ,if no of observations are odd

2) median formula= 1/2(n/2th term+n+1/2th term) , if number of observations are even

median example problem:

given data set 10.2,5,7,9,5,6

solution:

given data set is 10,2,5,7,9,5,6

no of observations n are 7 which is odd so formula is

median =n+1/2th

= 7+1/2

=8/2

=4th term that is 7 is a median

if no of observation are even let us do the example

10,2,4,8,6,5

n=6, as no of observations are even so our formula is median= 1/2(n/2th term + n+1/2th term)

=1/2(6/2th term +6+1/2th term)

=1/2(3rd term+3.5th term)

here 3rd term in the set is 4 and 3.5th term is 4+8/2=6

=1/2(4+6)

= 1/2(10)

=10/2

=5