Choosing Mean or Median
I can choose the better measure of center based on the shape of the data.
📘 Word Bank + Sentence Frames
meanmedianoutlierskewed / balanced
- Use the mean for balanced data with no extreme values.
- Use the median when there is an outlier or the data is skewed.
👀 See It
Salaries 30, 32, 33, 35, 200 (thousand): one huge outlier pulls the mean up, so the median (33) describes "typical" better.
✏️ Your Turn
0 of 3 checks complete
1. Data has one very large outlier. Better measure of center?
2. Data is balanced with no extremes. A good measure is the…
3. Why use the median with an outlier?
💬 Explain Your Thinking
Explain when you'd choose the median over the mean:
"I would use the blank when blank, because blank."