Question

Garrett went skiing for one week in January. The data represents the height of each of the slopes he skied per day. Which measure of center best represents the data below?



(1 point)
Responses

mean
mean

median
median

range
range

interquartile range

Answer 1

To determine which measure of center best represents Garrett's skiing slope heights, we need to consider the nature of the data.

- **Mean**: This is the average of all data points. It's sensitive to extreme values (outliers).
- **Median**: This is the middle value when data points are arranged in order. It is less affected by outliers and skewed data.
- **Range**: This measures the difference between the highest and lowest values but does not provide a measure of center.
- **Interquartile Range (IQR)**: This measures the spread of the middle 50% of the data and also does not indicate a measure of center.

If the heights of the slopes are quite varied, with possible outliers (e.g., one very steep slope that is significantly higher or lower than the others), the median would typically be a better measure of center as it is not affected by those extremes.

Given this reasoning, **median** is often the best choice when dealing with data that may have outliers or is skewed.

So, the best measure of center that represents the data is **median**.