Averages

Name: Averages
Author: StemPy Lab

In this short course you find the mean, the median and the mode of a list of numbers, see why one extreme value can mislead the mean, and learn which average to use for which question. The code boxes only need Run and a few changed numbers.

3 lessons, about 1 h 25 min3 simulations10 problems6 practice questionsPython in every lesson

Created by StemPy Lab

Course outline (3 lessons)

Lesson 1about 30 min
The mean
The mean is the total of all the values divided by how many values there are. It is the fair share: the value that every case would have if the total were shared equally. It is also the balance point of the data, because the distances of the values above it and below it add up to the same amount. If we know the mean and the count, the total is mean times count, which helps to find a missing value.
1 simulation2 practice questions2 Python programs3 problems
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Lesson 2about 30 min
The median and the mode
The median is the middle value of the data sorted from smallest to largest, so half of the values are below it and half above. With an odd number of values it is the one in the middle, and with an even number it is halfway between the two middle ones. The mode is the value that appears most often. It is the only average that works for words and labels, and some data have two modes or none.
1 simulation2 practice questions2 Python programs4 problems1 Python lab1 question set
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Lesson 3about 25 min
Choosing the right average
The mean, median and mode answer different questions: the mean is the fair share, the median is the value of the person in the middle, and the mode is the most common value. An outlier, a value far from the rest, drags the mean towards it but hardly moves the median. So for uneven data like salaries or house prices the median is the better choice. A good report says which average it used.
1 simulation2 practice questions1 Python program3 problems1 Python lab1 note
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Averages: Practice Paper

10 questions · 15 min

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Averages

Course outline (3 lessons)

The mean

The median and the mode

Choosing the right average

Test Your Learning

Your teacher

Discussion (0)

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