Mean, Median and Mode

The mean

As a consequence of doing repeat tests, we suddenly come up with a large set of data that we need to make sense of. This is good because it makes out data reliable. A large set of data minimises the effects of anomalies.

• To calculate the mean, add up the numbers and divide by how many there are.
• Leave out the anomaly in your calculation

The median

To find the median in a set of data, arrange the data in numerical order. The number that is at the centre of the data is the median if you have an odd number of data.

If you have an even set of data, for example 6, 8, 10, the median will be the mean of the 2 middle numbers.

The mode

The mode is the most common number in a set of data i.e. the number that appears the most.