What is the first step when finding the median of a data set?
Correction: The numbers should be put in numerical order before finding the median. Median: 6
Practice makes perfect
Consider the given information.
To find the error of the above procedure we will go through the whole process of finding the median. Remember that the median of a data set is the middle number when the values are written in numerical order. Let's write the data in the given order and in numerical order and compare them.
Given Order:&7, 4, 6, 2, 4, 6, 8, 8, 3
Ordered Data:&2, 3, 4, 4, 6, 6, 7, 8, 8
From the ordered data we can see that the median is 6. Conversely, in the given process the middle value 4 is taken as the median without ordering the data. Therefore, the numbers should be put in numerical order before finding the median.
