What is measures of central tendency

Measures of central tendency are statistical measures that provide information about the center or
typical value of a dataset. They summarize the data by indicating where the values tend to cluster
around. The three commonly used measures of central tendency are:

Mean: The mean, also known as the average, is calculated by summing up all the values in a dataset and
dividing it by the total number of values. It is sensitive to extreme values and can be influenced by
outliers.

Median: The median is the middle value in a dataset when the values are arranged in ascending or
descending order. If there is an even number of values, the median is the average of the two middle
values. The median is less affected by outliers and extreme values compared to the mean.

Mode: The mode is the most frequently occurring value in a dataset. It represents the value(s) that
appear with the highest frequency. A dataset can have no mode (when no value is repeated) or multiple
modes (when multiple values have the same highest frequency).

These measures provide different perspectives on the central tendency of a dataset and are used to
understand the typical value or the center of the distribution. They are commonly used in various fields
such as statistics, data analysis, and research to summarize and describe datasets.

Example of Mean

Sure! Let's say we have a dataset of five numbers: 4, 6, 2, 9, and 5. We can calculate the mean by
summing up all the values and dividing the sum by the total number of values (which is 5 in this case):

Mean = (4 + 6 + 2 + 9 + 5) / 5

Mean = 26 / 5

Mean = 5.2
Therefore, the mean of this dataset is 5.2.

Example of Median

We need a dataset with a set of numbers. Let's consider the following dataset: 8, 3, 5, 2, 9, 1, 7.

To find the median, we first need to arrange the numbers in ascending order:

1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9

Since the dataset has an odd number of values (7 in this case), the median is the middle value. In this
case, the middle value is 5.

Therefore, the sample median of this dataset is 5.

Example of Mode

Let's consider a dataset of numbers: 2, 5, 4, 6, 3, 5, 2, 8, 5, 2.

To find the mode, we need to determine the value(s) that appear with the highest frequency. By
examining the dataset, we can see that the number 2 appears three times, the number 5 appears three
times, and all other numbers appear only once.

Since the numbers 2 and 5 have the highest frequency of occurrence (three times each), this dataset has
multiple modes. Therefore, the modes of this dataset are 2 and 5.
Fractiles

Fractiles, or more commonly referred to as quantiles, are statistical measures that divide a dataset into
equal-sized subsets. They provide information about the relative position of values within a dataset. The
most commonly used quantiles are:

Median (or 50th percentile): The median is the value that separates the dataset into two equal halves. It
is the 50th percentile, meaning that 50% of the values are below the median and 50% are above it.

Quartiles: Quartiles divide the dataset into four equal parts. The first quartile (Q1) is the value below
which 25% of the data falls. The second quartile (Q2) is the same as the median. The third quartile (Q3)
is the value below which 75% of the data falls.

Percentiles: Percentiles divide the dataset into 100 equal parts. For example, the 25th percentile (P25) is
the value below which 25% of the data falls, and the 75th percentile (P75) is the value below which 75%
of the data falls.

These quantiles help us understand the distribution and spread of data. They are particularly useful
when analyzing skewed or non-normal distributions, as they provide insights into the relative position of
values and the spread of the data across different percentiles.

More example of percentile

Here are a few examples of percentiles:

Let's say we have a dataset of 100 scores on a test. The 90th percentile would represent the value below
which 90% of the scores fall. If the 90th percentile is 85, it means that 90% of the scores are below 85,
and only 10% of the scores are equal to or higher than 85.

Suppose we have a dataset of 200 salaries. The 75th percentile of the salaries would indicate the value
below which 75% of the salaries fall. If the 75th percentile is $60,000, it means that 75% of the salaries
are below $60,000, and only 25% of the salaries are equal to or higher than $60,000.

Consider a dataset of 500 heights of individuals. The 95th percentile of the heights would represent the
value below which 95% of the heights fall. If the 95th percentile is 180 cm, it means that 95% of the
heights are below 180 cm, and only 5% of the heights are equal to or taller than 180 cm.

Percentiles allow us to understand how individual data points relate to the rest of the dataset and
provide insights into the distribution of values across different levels.