Measures of Central Tendency

Objective
To learn how to find
measures of central
tendency in a set of
raw data.
Central Values – Many times one number is used to describe the
entire sample or population. Such a number is called an average.
There are many ways to compute an average.
There are 4 values that are considered measures of the
center.
1. Mean
2. Median
3. Mode
4. Midrange
Arrays
Mean – the arithmetic average with which you are
the most familiar.

Mean: sum of all x

x  bar 
number of x

x
x
n
Sample and Population Symbols
As we progress in this course there
will be different symbols that represent
the same thing. The only difference is
that one comes from a sample and one
comes from a population.
Symbols for Mean

Sample Mean: x

Population Mean:
Rounding Rule
Round answers to one decimal
place more than the number of
decimal places in the original data.

Example: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8
A Sample answer would be 4.7
Example
Find the mean of the array.

4, 3, 8, 9, 1, 7, 12

 x 4  3  8  9  1  7  12 44
x    6.29  6.3
n 7 7
Example…….
Find the mean of the following
numbers.
23, 25, 26, 29, 39, 42, 50
 x 23  25  26  29  39  42  50
x 
n 7
234
x  33.4
7
Example 2 – Use GDC
Find the mean of the array.
2.0, 4.9, 6.5, 2.1, 5.1, 3.2, 16.6

Use your lists on the calculator and

follow the steps.
Median
Median – the middle number in an
ordered set of numbers. Divides the
data into two equal parts.
Odd # in set: falls exactly on the
middle number.
Even # in set: falls in between the
two middle values in the set; find the
average of the two middle values.
Example
Find the median.

A. 2, 3, 4, 7, 8 - the median is

4.

B. 6, 7, 8, 9, 9, 10
median = (8+9)/2 = 8.5.
Mode
The number that occurs most often.

Suggestion: Sort the numbers in L1 to

make it easier to see the grouping of the
numbers.

You can have a single number for the

mode, no mode, or more than one
number.
Example
Find the mode.
1, 2, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 3, 3
Put numbers in L1 and sort to see
the groupings easier.
Ex 2
Find the mode.

A. 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 - no mode

B. 4, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 6, 9 - 4 ,6, and

9
Midrange
The number exactly midway
between the lowest value and
highest value of the data set. It is
found by averaging the low and
high numbers.
( Low value  High Value )
midrange 
2
Example
Find the midrange of the set.

3, 3, 5, 6, 8

(3  8) 11
midrange    5.5
2 2
Trimmed Mean
Trimmed Mean
We have seen 4 different averages: the
mean, median, mode, and midrange. For
later work, the mean is the most important.
However, a disadvantage of the mean is that
it can be affected by extremely high or low
values.
One way to make the mean more resistant to
exceptional values and still sensitive to
specific data values is to do a trimmed mean.
Usually a 5% trimmed mean is used.
How to Compute a 5% Trimmed
Mean
Order the data from smallest to largest.

Delete the bottom 5% of the data and the

top 5% of the data. (NOTE: If 5% is a
decimal round to the nearest integer)

Compute the mean of the remaining 90%.

 14 20 20 20 20 23 25 30 30 30
Example 35 35 35 40 40 42 50 50 80 80

a) Compute the mean for the entire sample.

 x 719
x   36.0
n 20
b) Compute a 5% trimmed mean.
5% Trim : 20  0.05  1
 x 625
REMOVE 1 VALUE FROM THE x   34.7
TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE SET . n 18
REMOVE 14 AND 80.
 14 20 20 20 20 23 25 30 30 30
Example 35 35 35 40 40 42 50 50 80 80

c) Compute the median for the entire sample.

30  35
Median   32.5
2

d) Compute a 5% trimmed median.

The median is still 32.5.

e) Is the trimmed mean or the original mean closer to the median?

Trimmed Mean
Weighted Average
Sometimes we wish to average
numbers, but we want to assign
more importance, or weight, to
some of the numbers.

The average you need is the

weighted average.
Formula for Weighted Average

 xw
Weighted Average 
w
where x is a data value and w is
the weight assigned to that data
value. The sum is taken over all
data values.
Example:
Suppose your midterm test score is 83
and your final exam score is 95.
Using weights of 40% for the midterm
and 60% for the final exam, compute
The weighted average of your scores.
If the minimum average for an A is
90, will you earn an A?

Weighted Average 
830.40  950.60  You will earn
0.40  0.60 an A!
32  57
  90.2
1
Measures of Dispersion…..Arrays
Dispersion
The measure of the spread or
variability

No Variability – No Dispersion

Measures of Variation
There are 3 values used to measure
the amount of dispersion or
variation. (The spread of the group)

1. Range
2. Variance
3. Standard Deviation
Why is it Important?
You want to choose the best brand
of paint for your house. You are
interested in how long the paint
lasts before it fades and you must
repaint. The choices are narrowed
down to 2 different paints. The
results are shown in the chart.
Which paint would you choose?
The chart
Paint A Paint B
indicates the 10 35
number of 60 45
months a 50 30

paint lasts 30 35

before 40 40
20 25
fading. 210 210
Does the Average Help?
Paint A: Avg = 210/6 = 35 months

Paint B: Avg = 210/6 = 35 months

They both last 35 months before fading.

No help in deciding which to buy.
Consider the Spread
Paint A: Spread = 60 – 10 = 50 months

Paint B: Spread = 45 – 25 = 20 months

Paint B has a smaller variance which

means that it performs more consistently.
Choose paint B.
Range
The range is the difference
between the lowest value in the
set and the highest value in the
set.

Range = High # - Low #

Example
Find the range of the data set.

40, 30, 15, 2, 100, 37, 24, 99

Range = 100 – 2 = 98
 Deviation from the Mean
A deviation from the mean, x – x bar, is the
difference between the value of x and the
mean x bar.

We base our formulas for variance and

standard deviation on the amount that they
deviate from the mean.
Variance (Array)
Variance Formula

( x) 2
x  2

s 
2 n
n 1
Standard Deviation
The standard deviation is the
square root of the variance.

s  s 2
Example – Using Formula
Find the variance.
6, 3, 8, 5, 3
x x 2

6 36
3 9
8 64
5 25
3 9
 x  25  x  143
2
 ( x) 2
x 2

s2  n
n 1

25 2
143 
5 143  125 18
s 
2
   4.5
4 4 4
Find the standard deviation
The standard deviation is the
square root of the variance.

s  4.5  2.12