7. Measure of central tendency

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Analysing

7. Measure of central tendency

Average

An average is a single ‘typical’ value that is used to represent a set of values.

Types of average

There are three main types of average that can be calculated to show a typical value from a set of data:

• Mean 
• Median
• Mode 

Mean

The mean is the most commonly used average. It is found by finding the total of the values and dividing by how many values there are.

Mean

The mean is the most commonly used average. It is found by finding the total of the values and dividing by how many values there are.

Mean

The mean is the most commonly used average. It is found by finding the total of the values and dividing by how many values there are.

Mean

The mean is the most commonly used average. It is found by finding the total of the values and dividing by how many values there are.

Mean

The mean is the most commonly used average. It is found by finding the total of the values and dividing by how many values there are.

Median

The median is an average that is found by listing the values in order and finding the middle value.

Median

The median is an average that is found by listing the values in order and finding the middle value.

Median

The median is an average that is found by listing the values in order and finding the middle value.

Mode

The mode is the value that occurs most often. This average can be used for non-numerical values, eg ‘red’.

When to use each average

Mean	Median	Mode
-The data is symmetrical (no extreme outliers). - You want the overall "typical" value. - Every data point is important.	- The data is skewed or has outliers. - You want a value that divides the data in half	-You're working with categorical data (e.g., favorite color, shoe size). -You want to know the most common value.

Range

The range is not an average. Instead, it is used to show how varied the data is. 

Range is the difference between the highest value (max) and the lowest value.