What is central tendency?

The statistical measure known as the central tendency is defined as the singular value of the entire
distribution or data set. There are three measures of central tendency: the mean, the median, and the
mode.

Importance of Central Tendency:

● It reveals what makes "average" or "normal" for a given set of data. Additionally, it reduces the entire
data set to a single representative value, which is helpful when working with big data set.

●The ability to compare one data set to another is also provided by central tendency.

● When you want to compare a single piece of data to the entire set, central tendency is also helpful.
Mean (Average)
The "Mean" is comupted by adding all of the numbers in the data together and
dividing by numbers elements contained in the data set.

Example
Data set = 2, 5, 9, 3, 5, 4, 7
Number of Elements in Data Set = 7

Therefore, Mean =
=5
Median
Median in statistics is the middle value of the given list of data when arranged in an order. The arrangement of data or
observations can be made either in ascending order or descending order.

Example: The median of 2,3,4 is 3.

The median formula is different for even and odd numbers of observations. Therefore, it is necessary to recognize first if we
have odd number of values or even number of values in a given data set.

Calculate the median for the following data given below

X F CF
First we calculate N/2, where N=40 /2=20
20th observation lies between cumulative frequencies 12 and 8-10 4 4
24, the median class is 12−14 10-12 8 12
We know, 12-14 12 24
Median = L+( N/2 -CF) /F *H, where,
L=12 14-16 16 40
CF=12
F =12
h= 2
Therefore, MEDIAN =13.33
Mode: (most often)
The "Mode" for a data set is the element that occurs the most often. It is not uncommon for a data set to
have more than one mode.

This happens when two or more elements occur with equal frequency in the data set.

Example:

1. Data Set = 2, 5, 9, 3, 5, 4,7

Therefore, Mode = 5

2. Data Set = 2, 5, 2, 3, 5, 4, 7
Therefore, Mode = 2 and 5
 MEAN
ADVANTAGES • It is based on all the
observations.
• It is easily understood and
easy to calculate.
• It is capable of further
algebraic treatment.
• Not affected by sampling
fluctuations
DISADVANTAGES • It is affected by extreme
values.
• Cannot be used when we
are dealing with qualitative
characteristics.
• Not suitable for skewed
data sets.
• It cannot be calculated for
distributions with open-end
classes.
MEDIAN
• It is rigidly defined.
• It is easily understood and
easy to calculate.
• It is not at all affected by
extreme values.
• It can be calculated for
distributions with open-end
classes.
• It is not based on all the
observations.
• It is affected much by
fluctuations of sampling.
• It is not amenable to
algebraic treatment.
• It is tedious to calculate for
larger data sets.
MODE
• It is easy to understand
and simple to calculate.
• It is not affected by
extremely large or small
values.
• It can be useful for
qualitative data.
• It can be computed in an
open-end frequency table.
• It is not well defined.
• It is not based on all the
values.
• It is stable for large values
so it will not be well defined
if the data consists of a
small number of values.
• It is not capable of further
mathematical treatment.
Relationship:
• The relationship between mean, median and mode is known as the empirical relationship.

• The relationship between the three central tendencies is given as- 2 Mean =
3 Median – Mode

• In a symmetrical distribution, the mean, median, and mode are all equal.

Representation:
These measures use form of various graphs such as bar graphs, histograms (including those of varying widths), tables,
frequency polygons and general discussions to help people understand the meaning of the analyzed data.
THANK YOU