Question

You are finding a measure of center in the data sets below using either the mean or the median. In which of the data sets should you find the mean? Select all that apply.

A) 18, 56, 58, 61, 52
B) 25, 27, 31, 33, 95
C) 38, 37, 33, 41, 36
D) 65, 68, 71, 73, 12
E) 49, 44, 42, 48, 50

Answer 1

A) 18, 56, 58, 61, 52
B) 25, 27, 31, 33, 95
C) 38, 37, 33, 41, 36
E) 49, 44, 42, 48, 50

You should find the mean in data sets that do not have extreme values or outliers that could skew the average. Data set D has an outlier (12) that could significantly lower the mean, so it is better to use the median in this case.