Watch the animation for calculating the median value and then consider the question below.


Why use this technique? Is it appropriate?

The Median is a useful calculation when you have a number of anomalies (large or small numbers in a data set) which could skew the results if you were to use the mean as a calculation. For instance if you studied the wealth of a country's population, the median is likely to indicate a figure of the earnings, closer to the majority of the people, than calculating the mean would.

Evaluate the strengths and limitations of using the median.

Strengths
Limitations

Strengths of Using the Median –

  • The median is a relatively easy calculation if there are an odd number of values in the set of data.
  • Anomalies (high or low numbers) won’t affect the result.

Weaknesses of Using the Median –

  • It is not possible to do any further calculations from the result.
  • Calculations can take a long time if you have a large set of data.