Arellano, Jeramae C.

- BSGE 1
Do research regarding Measures of Central Tendency and Measures of Variation
a. DEFINITION
Measures of Central Tendency is a branch of descriptive statistics that describes a set of
score without a single value or number that describes the “performances” of the group. It is a single
value that is used to describe the center of the data. This is an essential approach in statistics as it
provides a comprehensive summary of a dataset. It is generally measured by mean, median and
mode.
Measures of Variation is a statistical summary that portrays the amount of dispersion in
a dataset. It shows how spread out the values are. It defines how far the data points are from the
center. It comprises the range, variance and the standard deviation.

b. DETAILS OF THE TOPICS

The central tendency has three main measures and these are:
• Mean- It is the sum of all values provided in a data set divided by the number of the
elements. It is the average value of all the numbers in a data set.
For grouped data:
∑(𝑓. 𝑥)
𝑥̅ =
𝑛
Where:
𝑥̅ = mean value
f = frequency
x = mid-interval value of each class
𝑛 = total number of elements

How to calculate mean for grouped data?

Step 1: Determine the midpoint for each interval.
Step 2: Multiply each midpoint by the frequency for the class.
Step 3: Add the results from Step 2 and divide the sum by the total number of elements.
 For ungrouped data:
𝑥1 + 𝑥2 + 𝑥3 + 𝑥4 +. . . +𝑥𝑛
𝑥̅ =
𝑛
X= element in a data set
N= total number of elements

How to calculate mean for ungrouped data?

Step 1: Add up all of the data points.

Step 2: Divide the total by the number of data points in the data set.

Why is mean important?

The mean is an important measure because it incorporates the score from every subject in the
research study

• Median- It is the middle number in a dataset after the values are sorted and arranged in
order.
For grouped data:
𝑛
− 𝐶𝑓𝑃
𝑥̃ = 𝐿𝐵 + (2 ) 𝐶. 𝐼.
𝑓𝑚

Where:
𝑥̃ = median value
𝑀𝐶= median class n/2
𝐿𝐵= Lower boundary of Median class
𝐶𝑓𝑃= cumulative frequency before the median class
𝑓𝑚= frequency before the median class
𝐶. 𝐼. = Size of the class interval
 How to calculate median for grouped data?
Step 1. Make a table with 3 columns. First column for the class interval, second column for
frequency, f, and the third column for cumulative frequency, cf.
Step 2. Write the class intervals and the corresponding frequency in the respective columns.
Step 3. Write the cumulative frequency in the column cf. It is done by adding the frequency in
each step.
Step 4. Find the sum of frequencies, ∑f. It will be the same as the last number in the cumulative
frequency column.
Step 5. Find n/2. Then find the class whose cumulative frequency is greater than and nearest to
n/2. This is the median class.
Step 6. Now we use the formula in getting the median of a grouped data.

For ungrouped data:

𝑛𝑡ℎ + 𝑛𝑡ℎ
𝑥̃ =
2
Where:
n= number of observations

How to calculate median for ungrouped data?

Step 1. Arrange the given values in the ascending order.
Step 2. Find the number of observations in the given set of data. It is denoted by n.
Step 3. If n is odd, the median equals the [(n+1)/2]th observation.
Step 4. If n is even, then the median is given by the mean of (n/2)th observation and
[(n/2)+1]th observation.
Why are median important?
Median is important because it gives us an idea of where the center value is located in a dataset.
The median tends to be more useful to calculate than the mean when a distribution is skewed
and/or has outliers.
 • Mode- It is a value in a data set that has the highest frequency.
For grouped data:
f0-f1
x̂ = L + h ( )
2f1-f0-f2
𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒:
𝑥̂ = mode value
𝐿 = Lower Boundary of the modal class
f0= Frequency of the class preceding the modal class
f1= Frequency of the modal class
f2= Frequency of the class succeeding the modal class
h = width of the modal class

How to calculate mode for grouped data?

Step 1: Find the class interval with the maximum frequency. This is also called modal class.
Step 2: Find the size of the class. This is calculated by subtracting the upper limit from the lower
limit.
Step 3: Calculate the mode using the mode formula.

For ungrouped data:

Determine the value with that occurs most frequently.
How to determine the mode for ungrouped data?
Step 1: Arrange the data values either in ascending or descending order.
Step 2: Identify the repeated values and find their frequency.
Step 3: The observation with the highest frequency will be the mode of the given data.
Why are modes important?
The mode is particularly important because it is the only measure of central tendency that is
relevant for any data set.
The common measures of variations are as follows:
• Range- This is the difference between largest value and the smallest value present in a
data set.
Range= L – S
Where:
L= largest value
S= Smallest value
Why is range important?
Range provides an indication of statistical dispersion around the central tendency or the
degree of spread in the data.

• Variance- the average squared distance from the mean. This provides the information on
how spread out the data is.
Ungrouped data:
Formula For Population Variance
The variance of a population for ungrouped data is defined by the following formula:

2
∑(𝑥 − 𝑥̅ )2
𝜎 =
𝑛
Formula for Sample Variance
The variance of a sample for ungrouped data is defined by a slightly different formula:

2
∑(𝑥 − 𝑥̅ )2
𝑠 =
𝑛−1
Where,
σ2 = Variance
x = Item given in the data
x̅ = Mean of the data
n = Total number of items
s2 = Sample variance
 Grouped data:
Formula for Population Variance
The variance of a population for grouped data is:
∑ 𝑓(𝑚 − 𝑥̅ )2
𝜎2 =
𝑛
Formula for Sample Variance
The variance of a sample for grouped data is:
∑ 𝑓(𝑚 − 𝑥̅ )2
𝑠2 =
𝑛−1
Where,
f = frequency of the class
m = midpoint of the class

How to calculate the variance?

Step 1: Find the mean
Step 2: Find each score’s deviation from the mean
Step 3: Square each deviation from the mean
Step 4: Find the sum of squares
Step 5: Divide the sum of squares by n – 1 or N

Why does variance matter?

Variance matters for two main reasons:
1. Parametric statistical tests are sensitive to variance.
2. Comparing the variance of samples helps you assess group differences.
 • Standard Deviation- It is a statistical measure to calculate the dispersal about the mean.
It is the square root of the variance.
For grouped data:

∑ 𝑓(𝑚 − 𝑥̅ )2
𝑠=√
𝑛−1

For ungrouped data:

∑(𝑚 − 𝑥̅ )2
𝑠=√
𝑛

Where:
S= standard deviation
f = frequency of the class
m = midpoint of the class
n = Total number of items
x̅ = Mean of the data

How to calculate standard deviation?

1. Find the variance.

2. Get the square root of the variance.

Why is standard deviation important?

The standard deviation tells you how skinny or wide the curve will be. If you know these two
numbers, you know everything you need to know about the shape of your curve.
 C. EXAMPLES WITH SOLUTIONS OF EACH TOPIC
❖ CENTRAL TENDENCY

1. MEAN
a. Mean for grouped data

Class Interval Frequency (f) Midpoint (x) fx

1-5 8 3 24

6-10 6 8 48

11-15 4 13 52

16-20 2 18 36

21-25 4 23 92

26-30 6 28 168

31-35 2 33 66

n=32 ∑(𝑓. 𝑥) = 486

Computing the mean:

∑(𝑓. 𝑥) = 486

𝑛 = 32
∑(𝑓. 𝑥)
𝑥̅ =
𝑛

486
𝑥̅ =
32

𝑥̅ = 15.19
 b. Mean for Ungrouped Data
Given the values 36, 25, 27, 32, 42, 41, 38, 37, find the mean.
x= 36, 25, 27, 32, 42, 41, 38, 37
N= 8

𝑥1 + 𝑥2 + 𝑥3 + 𝑥4 +. . . +𝑥𝑛
𝑥̅ =
𝑛

36 + 25 + 27 + 32 + 42 + 41 + 38 + 37
𝑥̅ =
8

𝑥̅ = 34.75
2. MEDIAN
a. Median for grouped data
Calculate the median for the following data:

Class Interval Frequency Class Boundary Cumulative

Frequency

40-44 1 39.5-44.5 1

45-49 5 44.5-49.5 6

50-54 9 49.5-54.5 15

55-59 12 54.5-59.5 27

60-64 7 59.5-64.5 34

65-69 2 64.5-69.5 36

n= 36

𝑛 36
= = 18
2 2
Median Class= 54.5 - 59.5
LB= 54.5
Cfp= 15
f= 12
C.I. = 5
𝑛
− 𝐶𝑓𝑃
𝑥̃ = 𝐿. 𝐵 + (2 ) 𝐶. 𝐼.
𝑓𝑚

18 − 15
𝑥̃ = 54.5 + ( )5
12

𝑥̃ = 55.75
b. Median for Ungrouped data
Given below is the data obtained about the time that four students took for completing
an experiment. Find the Median of the experiment time.

9.7hrs, 6.3hrs, 2.5hrs, 7.1hrs

Arrange:

2.5, 6.3, 7.1, 9.7

𝑛𝑡ℎ + 𝑛𝑡ℎ
𝑥̃ =
2

6.3 + 7.1
𝑥̃ =
2

𝑥̃ = 6.7
 3. MODE
a. Mode for Grouped Data
Determine the mode of the grouped data below.

Class Frequency Modal Class = 20-29

H = 10
10-19 5
𝑓1 = 12
20-29 12 𝑓0 = 5

30-39 8 𝑓2 = 8
L= 20
40-49 5

n = 30

f0-f1
x̂ = L + h ( )
(2f1-f0-f2

12-5
x̂ = 20 + 10 ( )
(2 x 12 - 5 -8)

x̂ = 26.364

b. Mode for Ungrouped Data

The posted speed limit along a busy highway is 80 kilometers per hour. The following
values represent the speeds of 11 cars that were stopped for violating the speed limit:

96 kph, 101 kph, 99 kph, 100 kph, 98 kph, 103 kph, 97 kph, 99 kph, 102 kph, 95 kph, 99 kph.

Find a number that occurs most frequently in the data.

x̂ =99
 ❖ MEASURES OF VARIATION

1. RANGE

Find the Range for the quiz scores of the students provided below.

24, 58, 61, 67, 71, 73, 76, 79, 82, 83, 85, 87, 88, 88, 92, 93, 94, 97

Range = Maximum Value – Minimum Value

Maximum Value = 89
Minimum Value = 70

Range = 89 – 70
Range = 11

2. VARIANCE

Calculate the variance and standard deviation in these final exam scores.

24, 58, 61, 67, 71, 73, 76, 79, 82, 83, 85, 87, 88, 88, 92, 93, 94, 97

24+58+61+67+71+73+76+79+82+83+85+87+88+92+93+94+97
Mean: 18

Mean = 77.67

N=18

𝑥𝑖 (x- 𝑥̅ ) (𝑥 − 𝑥̅ )2
24 -53.67 2880.47
58 -19.67 386.91
61 -16.67 277.89
67 -10.67 113.85
71 -6.67 44.49
73 -4.67 21.81
76 -1.67 2.79
79 1.33 1.77
82 4.33 18.72
83 5.33 28.41
85 7.33 53.73
87 9.33 87.05
88 10.33 106..71
88 10.33 106.71
92 14.33 205.35
93 15.33 235.01
94 16.33 266.67
97 19.33 373.65
∑(𝑥 − 𝑥̅ )2 5212

∑(𝑥 − 𝑥̅ )2
2
𝑠 =
𝑛−1
5212
𝑠2 =
18 − 1
5212
𝑠2 =
17

𝑠 2 = 306.588
c. STANDARD DEVIATION

𝑠 2 = 306.588

∑ 𝑓(𝑚 − 𝑥̅ )2
𝑠=√
𝑛−1

𝑠 = √306.588

𝑠 = 17.51