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How To Find The Median
How To Find The Median
● Introduction
● Definition of Median
● Formula for Median
● Median formula for Ungrouped Data
● Median formula for Grouped Data
● Applications of Median
● Solved Examples
● Practice Problems
● Frequently Asked Questions
Introduction
In any group, the median is the value in the middle. One of the simplest statistical measures to compute is the
median. The data must be sorted in ascending order, to calculate the median, which is represented by the
middle data point. As the median value is placed in the middle of the data points, it is easy to infer that half of
the data points have values less than the median and half of the data points have values greater than the
median.
In addition, the quantity of data points affects how the median is calculated. The median is the middle value
when there are odd numbers of data points, and the average of the two middle values when there are even
numbers of data points. Let's study more about medians and how they are calculated.
Definition of Median
Three of the most commonly used measures of central tendency are mean, median and mode. Median is one
of them. The value that results from placing the observations in ascending order and calculating the middle
observation is known as the data median. Many times, it is difficult to consider the complete date for
representation. The median is helpful in situations where it is challenging to examine all of the data for
representation. Median helps to represent a large number of data points with a single data point. Calculating
the median is a simple task when it comes to statistical summary measures. The median is also termed as
“Place Average” as the median is positioned in the center of a sequence.
When calculating the median calculation for ungrouped data, we use the following steps:
Step 1: Put the information in ascending order.
Step 2: Then, add up all of the observations ('n').
Step 3: Determine whether 'n' is an odd or even number of observations.
When n is Odd
When the number of data points (\(n\)) is odd, the formula to calculate the median is as follows.
Given a dataset \(X\) with \(n\) observations, where \(n\) is an odd number, arranged in ascending order, the
median (\(M\)) is simply the value of the middle observation.
If \(X = \{x_1, x_2, ..., x_n\}\), then the formula for finding the median when \(n\) is odd is:
\[ M = x_{\frac{n+1}{2}} \]
Here, \(x_{\frac{n+1}{2}}\) represents the \(\frac{n+1}{2}\)th observation in the ordered dataset, which is the
middle observation when \(n\) is odd.
When n is Even
When the number of data points (\(n\)) is even, calculating the median involves taking the average of the two
middle values.
Given a dataset \(X\) with \(n\) observations, where \(n\) is an even number, arranged in ascending order, the
median (\(M\)) is the average of the two middle observations.
If \(X = \{x_1, x_2, ..., x_n\}\), then the formula for finding the median when \(n\) is even is:
\[ M = \frac{x_{\frac{n}{2}} + x_{\frac{n}{2}+1}}{2} \]
Step 1: Identify the Median Class: First, determine the class interval (group) that contains the median value.
This is typically the interval where the cumulative frequency crosses \( \frac{n}{2} \), where \( n \) is the total
number of observations.
Step 2: Calculate the Median: Once the median class is identified, you can use the following formula to
calculate the median (\( M \)):
Where:
- \( L \) = lower limit of the median class
- \( n \) = total number of observations
- \( F \) = cumulative frequency of the class preceding the median class
- \( f \) = frequency of the median class
- \( w \) = width of the median class interval
This formula essentially interpolates within the median class interval to find the exact median value.
It's important to ensure that the data is properly grouped and that the cumulative frequency falls within the
median class for this formula to be applicable.
Applications of Median
Median is a flexible statistical metric with many real-world uses in a wide range of industries. Here are a few
typical uses for the median:
1. Income Distribution Analysis: When working with skewed data or outliers, median income is frequently
used to reflect the normal income level within a community or group. It offers a more realistic portrayal of
income distribution than mean income.
2. Real Estate Valuation: Particularly in places where there is a large disparity in property prices, the median
sale price of properties within a particular area might give a better idea of typical property values than the
mean.
3. Healthcare and Biostatistics: When data is not normally distributed or contains outliers, the median is
commonly employed in medical research to characterise patient outcomes or features (e.g., age at diagnosis,
time to recovery).
4. Demographic Analysis: By providing information about the average age of members of a group or
community, the median age is frequently used to characterise the age distribution within a population.
5. Market research: By offering useful insights into consumer behaviour and market trends, median
household expenditure or purchasing power can assist firms in making well-informed decisions about product
pricing and marketing tactics.
Solved Examples
Example 1. Find the median for the following data set : 10, 35, 25, 20, 30, 15
Step 2: Since there are six observations (even), we need to find the average of the two middle values.
\[n = 6\]
Example 2. Find the median of the following dataset: 29, 23, 18, 12, 35
Step 2: Since there are five observations (odd), the median will be the middle value.
Solution:
To find the median, follow these steps:
Step 2: Determine the median class. Since the total number of observations is \(26\) (even), the median class
is the class interval where the cumulative frequency exceeds \(\frac{n}{2} = \frac{26}{2} = 13\). So, the median
class is \(21-30\).
Where:
\(L\) = Lower boundary of the median class (in this case, \(L = 21\))
\(n\) = Total number of observations (\(n = 26\))
\(F\) = Cumulative frequency of the class before the median class (\(F = 9\))
\(f\) = Frequency of the median class (\(f = 8\))
\(w\) = Width of the median class interval (in this case, \(w = 10\))
\[ M = 21 + \frac{4}{8} \times 10 \]
\[ M = 21 + 0.5 \times 10 \]
\[ M = 21 + 5 \]
\[ M = 26 \]
a. 20
b. 25
c. 24
d. 40
Answer: c
a. 43.25
b. 44.78
c. 40
d. 45.14
Answer: d
Q4. Adrian’s aunt gifted him a piggy bank with $20 for this birthday. Adrian added $4 each week to the
piggy bank and recorded the money he had in his piggy bank at the end of each week. If he did this for
7 weeks, what is the median of the amounts he recorded?
a. $36
b. $40
c. $32
d. $44
Answer: a
a) 15.75
b) 20.25
c) 23.5
d) 24.0
Answer: c