A study of 6 bicycle tires found that they lasted 19, 16, 15, 82, 17, and 19 months. Explain why the following statement is misleading: "Our tires last an average of 28 months."

Answer 1

The statement "Our tires last an average of 28 months" is misleading because it suggests that all bicycle tires manufactured by the company last for 28 months, whereas the given data shows that the duration of a bicycle tire depends on various factors such as the brand, quality, usage, maintenance, and various other factors.

In the given data, the six bicycle tires lasted for 19, 16, 15, 82, 17, and 19 months, which means that the average lifespan of these tires is (19+16+15+82+17+19)/6 = 29.67 months. However, the outlier value of 82 months, which is significantly higher than the other values, has a significant impact on the mean value, making it appear higher than the typical lifespan of the tires. Hence, the given statement is misleading and inaccurate.