LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

1. Calculate and interpret the mode, the median, and the mean;
2. Identify the relative strengths and weaknesses of the three measures;
3. Calculate and interpret the range, the variance, and the standard
deviation; and
4. Identify the relative strengths and weaknesses of the measures.
 STATISTICS

Statistics defined in its plural sense is a set of numerical data, while

in its singular sense refers to the scientific discipline consisting of
theory and methods in processing numerical information that one
can use when making decisions in the face of uncertainty. Others
define statistics as the art and science of collecting, presenting,
analyzing, and interpreting data.
 AREAS OF
STATISTICS

DESCRIPTIVE INFERENTIAL

•methods concerned w/ collecting, •methods concerned with the

describing, and analyzing a set of data analysis of a subset of data leading
without drawing conclusions (or to predictions or inferences about
inferences) about a large group the entire set of data
 I. MEASURES OF CENTER

Measures of center, or, more colloquially, averages, are the most

well-known measures of numeric data. They are single values,
intended as representatives, which can neatly characterize the whole
group.

Three Commonly Used Measures of Center

1. Mean
2. Median
3. Mode
 A. MEAN

Arithmetic mean or simply the mean – is the most popular measure of center. It
is a sum of a set of measurements divided by number of measurements in the set.

Properties of the Arithmetic Mean

• May not be an actual value observation in the data set
• Can be applied in at least an interval level of measurement
• Easy to compute
• Every observation contributes to the value of the mean
• Subgroup mean can be combined to come up with a group mean
• Easily affected by extreme values
SAMPLE AND POPULATION ARITHMETIC MEAN
EXAMPLE 1

Consider 5 physicians who practice in private hospitals are sampled and asked how much
an office visit costs. Suppose we get the answers: Php 700, Php 700, Php 750, Php 800,
and Php 2,500. Determine the mean charge for the sample of 5 doctors.

Solution:

700 + 700 + 750 + 800+2500

xത = = 1090
5
The mean charge is Php 1,090.
 EXAMPLE 2

There are three different basketball teams, and each has played five games. You have
each team's score from each of its games.
Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5
SEAITE 67 89 78 60 76
SEAS 78 76 68 76 67
SHAS 64 70 80 68 78

Suppose you want to join one of the three basketball teams. You want to join the one
that is doing the best so far. If you rank each team by their mean scores, which team
would you join?
EXAMPLE 2

Solution:
67 + 89 + 78 + 60 + 76
xതSEAITE = = 74
5
78 + 76 + 68 + 76 + 67
xതSEAS = = 73
5
64 + 70 + 80 + 68 + 78
xതSHAS = = 72
5

Since SEAITE has the highest mean score (74), their team is the best choice.
EXAMPLE 3

The mean weight of five complete computer stations is 160.2 pounds. The weights
of four of the computer stations are 150.4 pounds, 162 pounds, 165.7 pounds, and
173.2 pounds, respectively. What is the weight of the fifth computer station?

Solution:
x1 + x2 + x3 + x4 + x5
xത =
5

150.4 + 162 + 165.7+ 173.2+ x5

160.2 =
5
Solving for 𝑥5 :
x5 =149.7 pounds
 B. MEDIAN

Median (෤x) is the middle value of a set of observations arranged in increasing or

decreasing order of magnitude. It is the middle value when the number of
observations is odd, or the arithmetic mean of the two middle values when the number
of observations is even, i.e., it is the value such that half of the observations fall above
it and half below it.

Properties of the Median

• May not be an actual observation in the data set
• Can be applied in at least ordinal level
• A positional measure; may not be affected by extreme values
Steps in computing the median of a data set:

1. Arrange the data in ascending (or descending) order.

2. Determine the number of observation n.
3. Determine the observation in the middle of the data set.
• If the number of observations is odd, then the median is the data value that is exactly
n+1
in the middle of the data set. That is, it is observation that lies in the 2 position.

• If the number of observations is even, then the median is the arithmetic mean of the
two middle observations in the data set. That is, it is the arithmetic mean of the data
𝑛 𝑛+1
values that lie in the and position.
2 2
EXAMPLE 4

Find the median of the data set consisting of the observations

7,4,3,6,5,10,8.

Solution:
First, we arrange the data set in ascending order.
3,4,5,6,7,8,10
Since the number of observations is odd, then median:
7+1
x෤= = 4th number in the ordered list, namely 6.
2
EXAMPLE 5

Suppose we have the observations 4,2,7,6,9,8,5,1. Find the median of this data set.

Solution:
First, we arrange the data set in ascending order.
1,2,4,5,6,7,8,9
Since the number of observations n = 8, then the median is the average of the
n 8 n 8
4 2 = 2 =4th and the 5 2 +1= 2 +1=5th observation.
th th

5+6
x෤= =5.5
2
EXAMPLE 6
Determine the median of the following data set.
1,2,2,4,4,6,7,7,8,9

Solution:
The data are already arranged in ascending order. Since there is an even
number of data, the median is the average of the 5th and 6th observation.
Hence,
4+6
x෤= =5
2
Note: Duplicate values (2,4, and 7) in the data set are listed depending on the
number of their occurrence.
EXAMPLE 7

The median of the ranked list 3, 4, 7, 11, 17, 29, 37 is 11. If the maximum value 37
is increased to 55, what effect will this have on the median?

Solution:
3,4,7,11,17,29,55

Since median is a positional value, it will not change even if the extreme
values are altered. Thus, there is NO EFFECT.
 C. MODE

Mode xො is the value that appears the greatest number of times or that value with the
greatest frequency. The mode may not exist, and even if it does exist it may not be unique.

Unimodal One mode

Bimodal Two modes
Multimodal more than one mode
Nonmodal no mode

Properties of the Mode

• Can be used for qualitative as well as quantitative data
• May not be unique
• Not affected by extreme values
• Can be computed for ungrouped and grouped data
EXAMPLE 8
Find the mode for the data in the following lists.
a. 18, 15, 21, 16, 15, 14, 15, 21
b. 2, 5, 8, 9, 11, 4, 7, 23
c. 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 8
d. 12, 34, 12, 71, 48, 93, 71

Solution:
a. 14, 15, 15, 15, 16, 18, 21, 21
Mode = 15
b. 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 23
No Mode
c. 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 8
Mode = 3
d. 12, 12, 34, 48, 71, 71, 93
Mode = 12 and 71
EXAMPLE 9

Find the mode of the data set in the table.

Quantity of Glucose (mg) in Blood
of 25 Students
70 87 92 96 101
79 90 93 96 101
83 90 93 97 104
86 90 94 99 105
86 91 95 100 107

Solution:
The value of 90 is repeated the most hence the mode is 90.
EXAMPLE 10

The frequency table below shows the weights of different bags of rice.
Determine the mode.
Weight (kg) 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75

Bags of Rice
5 8 9 3 8 9 8 3
(Frequency)

Solution:
The modes are 50 kg and 65 kg since they have the highest frequency (9).
 II. MEASURES OF VARIABILITY

Measures of dispersion or variability is the statistical name for the spread or

variability of data. This measure determines whether the set of observations tend
to be quite similar (homogeneous) or whether they vary considerably
(heterogeneous).

Three Commonly Used Measures of Center

1. Range
2. Standard Deviation
3. Variance
 A. RANGE

The range is the difference between the largest and the smallest values in the set.
The range is not considered a stable measure of variability because its values can
fluctuate greatly with the change in just a single score-either the highest or the
lowest.
R = largest value − smallest value

Properties of the Range

• Computation-wise, it is a quick but rough measure of dispersion.
• The larger the value of the range, the more dispersed are the observations.
• It considers only the lowest and highest values.
EXAMPLE 11

The Salvatore family drove through 6 cities on their summer vacation. Gasoline
prices varied from city to city. What is the range of gasoline prices?

City 1 2 3 4 5 6

Gasoline price
45 50 48 53 47 48
(Php)

Solution:
Arrange the prices in an ascending manner.
45, 47, 48, 48, 50, 53
R = 53 − 45 = 8
EXAMPLE 12

What is the range of these integers?

14, -12, 7, 0, -5, -8, 17, -11, 19

Solution:
Arrange the integers from lowest to highest.
-12, -11, -8, -5, 0, 7, 14, 17, 19

R = 19 − −12 = 31
 B. STANDARD DEVIATION

The standard deviation is the most used measure of dispersion. It is an extremely

important measure of spread that is based on the mean. It is a measure of the
typical, or average, deviation for all the data points from the mean.

Characteristics of the Standard Deviation

• If there is a large amount of variation, then on average, the data values will
be far from the mean. Hence, the standard deviation will be large.
• If there is only a small amount of variation, then on average, the data values
will be close to the mean. Hence, the standard deviation will be small.
POPULATION AND SAMPLE STANDARD DEVIATION
EXAMPLE 13
Four students were comparing their scores on a recent essay. Calculate the standard deviation of
their scores: 8,9,6,5.

Solution:

2
σ xi − μ
σ=
N

8+9+6+5
μ= =7
4

2 2 2 2
8−7 + 9−7 + 6−7 + 5−7
σ=
4
σ = 1.58
EXAMPLE 14
A sample of 5 students was taken to see how many pencils they were carrying.
Calculate the sample standard deviation of their responses: 8, 12, 15, 13,22.

Solution:
2
σ xi − xത
sx =
n−1
8+12+15+13+22
തx=
5
തx=14
8−14 2 + 12−14 2 + 15−14 2 + 13−14 2 + 22−14 2
sx =
5−1
sx = 5.14
 C. VARIANCE

The variance is defined as measuring how far spread the data points are
from the mean. The larger the variance, the more far apart the data points
are from the mean and vice versa.
POPULATION AND SAMPLE VARIANCE
 EXAMPLE 15
The heights (in cm) of students of a class is given to be 163, 158, 167, 174, 148.
Find the variance.

Solution:
2
2 σ x− μ
σ =
N
163 + 158 + 167 + 174 + 148
μ= = 162
5

163 − 162 2 + 158 − 162 2 + 167 − 162 2 + 174 − 162 2 + 148 − 162 2
σ2 =
5
σ2 = 76.4
EXAMPLE 16
There are 350 staffs in a company. The hours used in leisure per week by 5 of the
employees are 4, 5, 8, 10, 7. Find the sample variance.

Solution:
2
σ x− x
ത
sx 2 =
n−1
4 + 5 + 8 + 10 + 7
xത=
5
xത= 6.8
4 − 6.8 2 + 5 − 6.8 2 + 8 − 6.8 2 + 10 − 6.8 2 + 7 − 6.8 2
sx 2 =
5−1
sx 2 = 5.7
 REFERENCES

1. Aufmann, R.N. et.al. (2018). Mathematics in the modern

world. Manila: Rex Bookstore, Inc.
2. Quintos, R. et.al. (2019). Mathematics in the modern world.
Bulacan : Saint Andrew Publishing House.
3. Measures of Central Tendency. Retrieved from
https://statistics.laerd.com/statistical-guides/measures-
central-tendency-mean-mode-median.php
4. Measures of Central Tendency: Mean, Median, and Mode.
Retrieved from https://statisticsbyjim.com/basics/measures-
central-tendency-mean-median-mode
5. Sirug, W. (2018). Mathematics in the modern world. Manila:
Mindshapers Co. Inc.