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The Mean, Median, Mode, Range

The document defines and explains key statistical terms including mean, median, mode, range, and skew. It discusses how the mean is calculated as the average for discrete and continuous variables. The median depends on whether the number of terms is even or odd. The mode is the most frequent value for discrete variables and the maximum value for continuous variables. Range is the difference between maximum and minimum values. Distributions can be positively or negatively skewed depending on the length of the tails, and skew affects the relationship between the mean and median.

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Ramareziel Parreñas Rama
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173 views2 pages

The Mean, Median, Mode, Range

The document defines and explains key statistical terms including mean, median, mode, range, and skew. It discusses how the mean is calculated as the average for discrete and continuous variables. The median depends on whether the number of terms is even or odd. The mode is the most frequent value for discrete variables and the maximum value for continuous variables. Range is the difference between maximum and minimum values. Distributions can be positively or negatively skewed depending on the length of the tails, and skew affects the relationship between the mean and median.

Uploaded by

Ramareziel Parreñas Rama
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Mean, Median, Mode and Range

The terms mean, median, mode, and range describe properties of statistical distributions. In
statistics, a distribution is the set of all possible values for terms that represent defined events.
The value of a term, when expressed as a variable, is called a random variable.
There are two major types of statistical distributions. The first type contains discrete random
variables. This means that every term has a precise, isolated numerical value. The second
major type of distribution contains a continuous random variable. A continuous random variable
is a random variable where the data can take infinitely many values. When a term can acquire
any value within an unbroken interval or span, it is called a probability density function.

Mean
The most common expression for the mean of a statistical distribution with a discrete random
variable is the mathematical average of all the terms. To calculate it, add up the values of all the
terms and then divide by the number of terms. The mean of a statistical distribution with a
continuous random variable, also called the expected value, is obtained by integrating the
product of the variable with its probability as defined by the distribution. The expected value is
denoted by the lowercase Greek letter mu (µ).
Median
The median of a distribution with a discrete random variable depends on whether the number of
terms in the distribution is even or odd. If the number of terms is odd, then the median is the
value of the term in the middle. This is the value such that the number of terms having values
greater than or equal to it is the same as the number of terms having values less than or equal
to it. If the number of terms is even, then the median is the average of the two terms in the
middle, such that the number of terms having values greater than or equal to it is the same as
the number of terms having values less than or equal to it.
The median of a distribution with a continuous random variable is the value m such that the
probability is at least 1/2 (50%) that a randomly chosen point on the function will be less than or
equal to m, and the probability is at least 1/2 that a randomly chosen point on the function will
be greater than or equal to m.
Mode
The mode of a distribution with a discrete random variable is the value of the term that occurs
the most often. It is not uncommon for a distribution with a discrete random variable to have
more than one mode, especially if there are not many terms. This happens when two or more
terms occur with equal frequency, and more often than any of the others.
A distribution with two modes is called bimodal. A distribution with three modes is called
trimodal. The mode of a distribution with a continuous random variable is the maximum value of
the function. As with discrete distributions, there may be more than one mode.
Range
The range of a distribution with a discrete random variable is the difference between the
maximum value and the minimum value. For a distribution with a continuous random variable,
the range is the difference between the two extreme points on the distribution curve, where the
value of the function falls to zero. For any value outside the range of a distribution, the value of
the function is equal to 0.
A look at skewed distributions

Skew (1 of 3)

A distribution is skewed if one of its tails is longer than the other. The
first distribution shown has a positive skew. This means that it has a
long tail in the positive direction.

The distribution below it has a negative skew since it has a long tail
in the negative direction. Finally, the third distribution is symmetric and has no skew.

Skew (2 of 3)

Distributions with positive skews are more common than distributions with negative skews. One
example is the distribution of income. Most people make under $40,000 a year, but some make
quite a bit more with a small number making many millions of dollars per year. The positive tail
therefore extends out quite a long way whereas the negative tail stops at zero.

For a more psychological example, a distribution with a positive skew typically results if the time
it takes to make a response is measured. The longest response times are usually much longer
than typical response times whereas the shortest response times are seldom much less than
the typical response time.

Negatively skewed distributions do occur, however. Consider this plot


of actual test grades on a statistics test where most students did very
well but a few did poorly. It has a large negative skew.

Skew (3 of 3)

The effect of skew on the mean and median

This distribution has a positive skew. Note that the mean is larger than the median.

This distribution has a negative skew. The median is larger than the mean.

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