Find the mean, median, mode and range of this data set:
19, 18, 21, 16, 15, 17, 20, 18
Hint
to find the mean, divide the sum by 8
Answer
all three averages equal 18 and the range is 6
Example 2
Which of the three averages does not describe the "middle" of this data set?
100, 99, 97, 97, 96, 98, 95, 72
Hint
calculate all three averages and find the one that is different
Answer
The mean does not describe the middle of the data set. It is much lower than the other two averages. The mean = 94.25, the mode = 97 and the median = 97.
Example 3
On his first three quizzes, Patrick earned a 15, 18, and 16. (A perfect score would have been 20 points.) What does he need to earn on the next quiz to have a mean score of at least 17?
