7.4 Application of Averages

Focus: understand which average best describes a set of data. Explore - page 271

Question to Ponder... Which measure best describes the average number of siblings? Mode, mean and median are all types of averages; they are called...Measures of Central Tendency the Mean is usually the best average if numbers in the data are not significantly different from one another the Median is usually the best measure if there are numbers in the data that are significantly different from one another the Mode is usually the best measure of average if the data is about measurements or sizes Eg. Shoes, Clothing, Windows Connect - page 271

The mean is 30.7 - not an actual pant size, so not very useful The median is 30 - tells us half bought bigger sizes, half bought smaller sizes The modes are 28 and 30 - tells us which sizes were bought most In this case, the mode is best as it tells us what sizes we need more of as they are most popular... Practice page 273-274, #1-3 and 6 Stem and Leaf Plot Required!!!!