Part 3: Mean vs Median

Multiple Choice

Which Greek letter is commonly used to represent the sum of values in statistics?

• Sigma (Σ)

• Alpha (α)

• Beta (β)

• Delta (Δ)

Fill in the Blank

Calculate the mean of the hours students spent on their favorite social media as shown in the data: 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 6 6 8.

Multiple Choice

Why does the mean feel like the center of a symmetric distribution?

• Because it is the highest value in the data set

• Because it is the point where the histogram balances

• Because it is always equal to the median

• Because it is the lowest value in the data set

Multiple Select

Which of the following statements are true about when to use the mean versus the median?

• Use the mean if the histogram is symmetric and there are no outliers.

• Use the median if the histogram is skewed or has outliers.

• The median is resistant to extremely large or small values.

• Always use the mean regardless of the data distribution.

Open Ended

What would the data look like if the median is a better representation of our data?

Multiple Choice

How do you calculate the mean of a symmetric distribution?

• Add all the values and divide by the number of values

• Find the middle value

• Multiply all the values together

• Subtract the smallest value from the largest

Dropdown

Use the table to find the following:

Median: ​

Select answer

Mean: ​

Select answer

Open Ended

What is one question you still have about calculating or interpreting the mean of symmetric distributions?