Here are the prices for biweekly lawn mowing services for 13 local companies: 15, 15, 20, 30, 30, 35, 40, 40, 40, 40, 50, 50, 50 Which measure of center—mean or median—best represents the shape of the distribution? (1 point)
3 answers
The median would best represent the shape of the distribution because it is not heavily influenced by extreme values, which are present in the data set. The median of the data set is $40, which falls within the range of prices displayed.
Here are the prices for biweekly lawn mowing services for 13 local companies: 15, 15, 20, 30, 30, 35, 40, 40, 40, 40, 50, 50, 50 Which measure of center—mean or median—best represents the shape of the distribution? (1 point)
is the median skewed to the left or right
is the median skewed to the left or right
In this case, given the data: 15, 15, 20, 30, 30, 35, 40, 40, 40, 40, 50, 50, 50, it would be appropriate to consider both the mean and median to determine which one best represents the data.
The mean can be calculated by summing all the prices and dividing by the number of prices:
Mean = (15 + 15 + 20 + 30 + 30 + 35 + 40 + 40 + 40 + 40 + 50 + 50 + 50) / 13 = 34.62
The median is the middle value when the data is arranged in ascending or descending order:
If we arrange the data in ascending order:
15, 15, 20, 30, 30, 35, 40, 40, 40, 40, 50, 50, 50
The middle value is the 7th value, which is 40.
Comparing the mean and median, the median of 40 might be a better measure of central tendency as it isn't as heavily influenced by the extreme values of 15 and 50. Thus, the median best represents the shape of the distribution.
Regarding if the distribution is skewed to the left or right, since the lower values are closer together compared to the longer tail on the higher end, the distribution would be classified as right-skewed.
The mean can be calculated by summing all the prices and dividing by the number of prices:
Mean = (15 + 15 + 20 + 30 + 30 + 35 + 40 + 40 + 40 + 40 + 50 + 50 + 50) / 13 = 34.62
The median is the middle value when the data is arranged in ascending or descending order:
If we arrange the data in ascending order:
15, 15, 20, 30, 30, 35, 40, 40, 40, 40, 50, 50, 50
The middle value is the 7th value, which is 40.
Comparing the mean and median, the median of 40 might be a better measure of central tendency as it isn't as heavily influenced by the extreme values of 15 and 50. Thus, the median best represents the shape of the distribution.
Regarding if the distribution is skewed to the left or right, since the lower values are closer together compared to the longer tail on the higher end, the distribution would be classified as right-skewed.