Mean (average) and median are statistical terms that play similar roles in terms of understanding the central tendencies of a set of statistics. The average is usually used to locate the midpoint in a sample. However, it has the great disadvantage of being affected if a value rises or falls too much compared to the rest of the sample. It is for this reason that the median is considered a better reference of a midpoint.
Half | Median | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Mean is the arithmetic average of a set of numbers. | On the other hand, the median is the central numerical value of a set of numbers. |
| Applications | The average is used in regular distributions. | As for the median, it is usually used in irregular distributions. |
| Relevance in a data set | The average is not considered the best tool because it is easily «influenced» by external agents. | In contrast, the median is considered a better option in irregular distributions. |
| How is it calculated? | Despite being very variant, the average is also the easiest way to obtain the measure of a central tendency. It is only necessary to take all the values, add them and once obtained the total, this must be divided among the total amount of values. | To find this value it is necessary to order all the numbers involved in ascending order. In case the total of the numbers is even, the median is calculated by taking the average of the two central values. In case it is an odd number of numbers, the median is the central value. |
| Examples | Calculate the average or average of these values: 98, 99, 100, 100, 75, 83, 96 All are added = 651 After this amount is divided by the amount of summed values, in this case 7 values were added. Therefore, 651/7 = 93 The average or average then is 93. | Par : Calculate the median of the following numbers, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 15, 22, 24 The central values are 8 and 11. The average or average is (8 + 11) / 2 = the median of this group is 9.5 Odd : Calculate the median of the following numbers, 13, 16, 18, 22, 29, 32, 46, 79, 89 Being an odd number of numbers, there is only one in between. In this case, it is the number 29. Therefore 29 is the median. |