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MEDIANS meaning and definition

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What Does "Median" Mean?

In the world of statistics and data analysis, the term "median" is often tossed around without much explanation. But what exactly does it mean?

To understand the median, we need to first grasp a basic concept: the way in which numbers are arranged in order.

Imagine you have a set of numbers:

1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11

These numbers can be arranged in increasing order (also known as an "ascending" order):

1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11

Now, let's talk about the mean. The mean is also known as the average value of a set of numbers. To calculate it, you add up all the numbers and divide by how many numbers there are. In our example:

1 + 3 + 5 + 7 + 9 + 11 = 36

There are six numbers in this set, so we divide the sum (36) by 6 to get the mean:

36 รท 6 = 6

So, the mean of these numbers is 6.

Now, let's talk about the median. The median is the middle value of a set of numbers when they are arranged in order. In our example, the median would be the third number (5), since there are an equal number of numbers below and above it:

1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11

If we had an odd number of values, like this:

1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

The median would be the middle value (5), since there are no numbers exactly in the middle. If we had an even number of values, like this:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

The median would be the average of the two middle values (3 and 4), which is 3.5.

So, what's the difference between mean and median? The mean is sensitive to extreme values in a set, while the median is more robust. For example:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1000

The mean would be heavily influenced by the outlier (1000) and would likely be much higher than the median, which would still be around 3.5.

In conclusion, the median is a measure of central tendency that represents the "typical" value in a set of numbers when they are arranged in order. It's often used to describe data that has outliers or is sensitive to extreme values. Understanding what the median means can help you better comprehend and work with statistical data in various fields, from finance to medicine.

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