MEASURES OF CENTRAL TENDENCY | STATISTICS | UNGROUPED DATA |
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Statistics
and measures of central tendency are closely related concepts in mathematics.
Statistics is the broader field of mathematics that encompasses various methods
and techniques used to analyze and interpret numerical data, while measures of
central tendency are specific statistical tools used to describe the central or
typical value of a dataset.
A measure of
central tendency is a statistical concept used to describe the typical or
central value of a set of data. In other words, it is a way to summarize or
represent the entire set of data with a single value. The three most common
measures of central tendency are the mean, median, and mode.
The mean is often referred to as the average and is calculated by adding up all the values in the dataset and dividing by the number of values. It is the most commonly used measure of central tendency and is particularly useful when the data is normally distributed.
The median is the middle value in a dataset when the values are arranged in ascending or descending order. It is useful when the dataset contains outliers or extreme values that could skew the mean.
The mode is the most frequently occurring value in the dataset. It is useful when the dataset contains distinct peaks or modes.
Each measure of central tendency has its strengths and weaknesses, and the appropriate measure to use depends on the nature of the data and the research question. When used correctly, measures of central tendency can provide valuable insights into the distribution of data and help researchers make informed decisions.
The uses of Statistics in a few different fields are:
1. Engineering: Measures of central tendency are used in engineering to analyze data related to manufacturing, quality control, and reliability. For example, engineers might use the mean, median, or mode to analyze failure rates of machinery or to determine the average time required to complete a process.
2. Economics: In economics, measures of central tendency are used to analyze economic data such as gross domestic product (GDP), inflation, and employment rates. Economists might use the mean, median, or mode to analyze average incomes, prices, or wealth distribution.
3. Business: In business, measures of central tendency are used to analyze sales, customer satisfaction, employee performance, and other important metrics. For example, businesses might use the mean, median, or mode to determine average sales revenue per employee, typical salaries or bonus payouts, or customer satisfaction ratings.
4. Education: In education, measures of central tendency are used to analyze student performance on tests and assignments. Teachers and administrators might use the mean, median, or mode to determine typical scores, identify trends, and make decisions about curriculum and instruction.
5. Health: Measures of central tendency are used in health research to summarize data related to disease prevalence, treatment outcomes, and other health-related variables. Researchers might use the mean, median, or mode to analyze average rates of disease, typical lengths of treatment, or patient outcomes.
6. Society: In social science research, measures of central tendency are used to analyze data related to social and cultural phenomena such as crime rates, voter preferences, and consumer behavior. Social scientists might use the mean, median, or mode to determine typical behaviors or attitudes among a population. Overall, measures of central tendency are a fundamental tool for summarizing and analyzing data across a wide range of fields.
SIMPLE PROBLEMS:
Now, here's a simple mean problem:
Problem 1:
The ages of a group of 5 students are 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22. What is the mean age of the group?
Solution:
To find the mean age, we need to add up all the ages and divide by the total number of students. Mean = (18 + 19 + 20 + 21 + 22) / 5 Mean = 100 / 5
Mean = 20, answer
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Problem 2:
The following data shows the number of goals scored by a football team in 5 matches: 2, 3, 4, 1, and 2. What is the mean number of goals scored per match?
Solution:
To find the mean number of goals scored per match, we need to add up all the goals scored and divide by the total number of matches. Mean = (2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2) /5
Mean = 12 / 5
Mean = 2.4, answer
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Problem 3:
A class of 25 students took a math test, and their scores are shown below. What is the mean score of the class?
70, 80, 90,75, 85, 95, 65, 55, 100, 80, 90, 85, 70, 60, 75, 80, 95, 80, 85, 90, 75, 85,90, 80, 70
Solution:
To find the mean score of the class, we need to add up all the scores and divide by the total number of students.
Mean = (70 + 80 + 90 + 75 + 85 + 95 + 65 + 55+ 100 + 80 + 90 + 85 + 70 + 60 + 75 + 80 + 95 + 80 + 85 + 90 + 75 + 85 + 90 +80 + 70) / 25
Mean = 1985 / 25
Mean = 79.4, answer
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Now, here's a simple median problem:
Problem 1:
Find the median of the following set of numbers: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50.
Solution:
To find the median, we need to arrange the numbers in order of magnitude and then find the middle number. In this case, the numbers are already in order, so we can simply find the middle number.
Median = 30
Therefore, the median of the set of numbers is 30,
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Problem 2:
Find the median of the following set of numbers: 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13.
Solution: To find the median, we need to arrange the numbers in order of magnitude and then find the middle number. In this case, the middle number is the average of the two middle values.
Median = (8 + 9) / 2 Median = 8.5
Therefore, the median of the set of numbers is 8.5
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Problem 3:
Find the median of the following set of numbers: 12, 9, 5, 7, 8, 15.
Solution:
To find the median, we need to arrange the numbers in order of magnitude and then find the middle number. In this case, the numbers are not already in order, so we need to rearrange them first. 5, 7, 8, 9, 12, 15. Now, we can find the middle number.
Median = 9
Therefore, the median of the set of numbers is 9,
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Now, here's a simple mode problem:
Problem 1:
Find the mode of the following set of numbers: 2, 3, 5, 7, 5, 9, 1, 5.
Solution:
The mode is the value that appears most frequently in the set of numbers. In this case, the number 5 appears three times, which is more than any other number.
Mode = 5
Therefore, the mode of the set of numbers is 5,
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Problem 2:
Find the mode of the following set of numbers: 2, 3, 5, 7, 5, 9, 1, 1.
Solution:
The mode is the value that appears most frequently in the set of numbers. In this case, both the numbers 1 and 5 appear twice, which is more than any other number. Mode = 1 and 5
Therefore, the mode of the set of numbers is 1 and 5,
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Problem 3:
Find the mode of the following set of numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Solution:
The mode is the value that appears most frequently in the set of numbers. In this case, none of the numbers appear more than once, so there is no mode.
Mode = None
Therefore, the set of numbers has no mode.
Problem 1:
The sales data for the company for the last 10 years are given
below. Find the mean sales for each year and the mean sales for the entire
10-year period.
Year 1: $500,000
Year 2: $750,000
Year 3: $1,000,000
Year 4: $1,500,000
Year 5: $2,000,000
Year 6: $2,500,000
Year 7: $2,000,000
Year 8: $1,500,000
Year 9: $1,000,000
Year 10: $750,000
Solution:
To find the mean sales for each year, we add up the sales for
each year and divide by 1 (since we are finding the mean for one year):
Year 1 mean sales = $500,000/1 = $500,000
Year 2 mean sales = $750,000/1 = $750,000
Year 3 mean sales = $1,000,000/1 = $1,000,000
Year 4 mean sales = $1,500,000/1 = $1,500,000
Year 5 mean sales = $2,000,000/1 = $2,000,000
Year 6 mean sales = $2,500,000/1 = $2,500,000
Year 7 mean sales = $2,000,000/1 = $2,000,000
Year 8 mean sales = $1,500,000/1 = $1,500,000
Year 9 mean sales = $1,000,000/1 = $1,000,000
Year 10 mean sales = $750,000/1 = $750,000
To find the mean sales for the entire 10-year period, we add up all the sales and divide by 10 (since there are 10 years):
Mean sales for the 10-year period
Mean = ($500,000 + $750,000 + $1,000,000 + $1,500,000 + $2,000,000 + $2,500,000 + $2,000,000 + $1,500,000 + $1,000,000 + $750,000)/10 Mean sales for the 10-year period = $14,750,000 / 10
Mean = $1,475,000, result
Therefore, the mean sales for each year and the mean sales for the entire 10-year period are calculated.as $1,475,000, answer
Problem 2:
A manufacturing company produces 5 different models of smartphones: A, B, C, D, and E. The company recorded the number of units produced and sold for each model over the past year. The data is given in the table below:
Model |
Units Produced |
Units Sold |
A |
50,000 |
35,000 |
B |
30,000 |
25,000 |
C |
20,000 |
18,000 |
D |
10,000 |
8,000 |
E |
5,000 |
4,000 |
Now, Find the average percentage of units sold for all the models.
Solution:
First, we need to calculate the percentage of units sold for each model:
· Model A: 35,000/50,000 x 100% = 70%
· Model B: 25,000/30,000 x 100% = 83.33%
· Model C: 18,000/20,000 x 100% = 90%
· Model D: 8,000/10,000 x 100% = 80%
·
Model E: 4,000/5,000 x
100% = 80%
Next, we need to find the total percentage of units sold for all the models. To do this, we add up the percentages of units sold for each model and divide by the number of models:
Total percentage of units sold = (70% + 83.33% + 90% + 80% + 80%)/5
Total percentage of units sold = 80.67%
Therefore, the average percentage of units
sold for all the models is 80.67%.
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Median Problems with Solution:
Problem 1:
A company is analyzing the salaries of its employees. The following data shows the monthly salaries of 10 employees in the company: $2200, $2700, $2300, $2500, $3000, $2800, $2600, $2400, $2900, $3100
Calculate the median salary of the employees.
Solution:
To find the median salary of the employees, we need to arrange
the data in ascending order:
$2200, $2300, $2400, $2500, $2600, $2700, $2800, $2900, $3000,
$3100
We have 10 data points, so the middle point is between the 5th
and 6th data points. The 5th data point is $2600 and the 6th data point is
$2700. Therefore, the median salary of the employees is:
Median = (2600 + 2700) / 2 = $2650
So, the median salary of the employees is
$2650 per month.
A company wants to compare the salaries of two departments, A
and B. The salaries of the employees in department A are:
A = $50,000, $60,000, $70,000, $80,000, $90,000
The salaries of the employees in department B are:
B = $50,000, $55,000, $65,000, $75,000, $100,000
Which department has a higher median salary?
Solution:
To find the median salary of each department, we first need to
arrange the salaries in order from smallest to largest:
Department A: $50,000, $60,000, $70,000, $80,000, $90,000,
Department B: $50,000, $55,000, $65,000, $75,000, $100,000,
The median salary is the middle value when the salaries are
arranged in order.
For department A, the median salary is $70,000.-higher
For department B, the median salary is $65,000.-lower
Therefore, department A has a higher median
salary.
Mode Problems with Solution:
Problem 1:
A teacher wants to analyze the test scores of her students in a
class. The test scores range from 0 to 100, and the distribution of the scores
is shown below:
Score: 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100
Frequency: 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 12, 15, 13, 8, 6, 2,
What is the mode of the test scores?
Solution:
The mode is the value that occurs most frequently in the dataset. To find the mode of the test scores, we need to find the score that has the highest frequency.
From the frequency distribution, we can see that the highest frequency is 15, which corresponds to a score of 60.
Therefore, the mode of the
test scores is 60.
It is important to note that in some datasets, there may be more than one mode. A dataset with multiple modes is called a multimodal dataset. In this case, we only have one mode, which is 60.
Problem 2:
A car dealership wants to know which color of the car is the most popular among its customers. They surveyed 100 customers and recorded the color of the car they purchased. The results are as follows:
Red: 18
Blue: 23
Green: 11
White: 22
Black: 26
What is the mode color of the cars purchased?
Solution:
The mode is the value that appears most frequently in the data
set. In this case, we can see that the highest frequency is for black, with 26
customers having purchased a black car. However, we need to make sure that
there is no tie between two or more colors. To do this, we can create a
frequency table and determine which color has the highest frequency.
Color |
Frequency |
Red |
18 |
Blue |
23 |
Green |
11 |
White |
22 |
Black |
26 |
From the table, we can see that black has the highest frequency,
so it is the mode color of the cars purchased.
Note: It is important to note that there may
be cases where there is a tie between two or more values in a data set, which
would result in multiple modes. In such cases, it would be appropriate to
report all modes. However, in this problem, there is no tie, and the mode is
black with a frequency of 26.
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