Measures of Center and Distribution

Front

What is the mean in a data set?

Back

The mean is the average of all the numbers in a data set, calculated by adding all the values together and dividing by the number of values.

Front

What is the median in a data set?

Back

The median is the middle value in a data set when the numbers are arranged in order. If there is an even number of values, the median is the average of the two middle numbers.

Front

What is the mode in a data set?

Back

The mode is the value that appears most frequently in a data set. A data set may have one mode, more than one mode, or no mode at all.

Front

What does it mean for a data set to be normally distributed?

Back

A normally distributed data set has a symmetric bell-shaped curve where most of the data points cluster around the mean, and the mean, median, and mode are all equal.

Front

What is the range of a data set?

Back

The range is the difference between the highest and lowest values in a data set.

Front

What is a box and whisker plot?

Back

A box and whisker plot is a graphical representation of a data set that shows the median, quartiles, and extremes (minimum and maximum values) of the data.

Front

What is the upper quartile (Q3) in a data set?

Back

The upper quartile (Q3) is the median of the upper half of a data set, representing the value below which 75% of the data falls.

Front

When should the mean be used as a measure of center?

Back

The mean should be used when the data set is normally distributed and there are no outliers, as it provides a good representation of the center.

Front

When should the median be used as a measure of center?

Back

The median should be used when the data set is skewed or contains outliers, as it is less affected by extreme values.

Front

What is skewness in a data set?

Back

Skewness refers to the asymmetry of the distribution of values in a data set. A data set can be positively skewed (tail on the right) or negatively skewed (tail on the left).