The mean is the mathematical average. The median is the middle value. The mode is the most repeated value.
Mean: 7.1 Median: 7 Mode: 4
Practice makes perfect
We want to find the mean, median, and mode of the given data set.
4, 8, 11, 6, 4, 5, 9, 10, 10, 4
Mean
The mean of a data set is the sum of the values divided by the total number of values in the set. Let's start by calculating the sum of the given values.
4+ 8+ 11+ 6+ 4+ 5+ 9+ 10+ 10+ 4
= 71
There are 10 values in our set, so we have to divide the sum by 10.
Mean: 71/10=7.1
Median
When the data are arranged in numerical order, the median is the middle value — or the mean of the two middle values — in a set of data. Let's arrange the given values and find the median.
4, 4, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 10, 11
The number of values in our set is 10. This means that there are 2 middle values. This is why the median is the mean of two middle values.
Median : 6+ 8/2 = 7
Mode
The mode is the value or values that appear most often in a set of data. Arranging the data set from least to greatest makes it easier to see how often each value appears. Let's arrange the values before we find the mode.
4, 4, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 10, 11
We can see that the most common value in the given data set is 4. This is the mode of our data set.
Mode: 4
