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1. For the following data, calculate the mode, median, mean, and range: {7, 8, 16, 15, 16, 6, 7,
9}. Please show your work. (4 points)
Mode(s): 16, 7
Median: 6, 7, 7, 8, 9, 15, 16, 16 = (8+9)/2 = (17)/2= 8.5
Mean: (7 +8 +16 +15+16+ 6+7+9)/8= 84/8 =10.5
Range: 16-6= 10
2. For the following data, calculate the mode, median, mean, and range: {2, 4, 2, 9, 7, 5, 2, 1, 3,
6}. Please show your work. (4 points)
Mode: 2
Median: 1,2,2,2,3,4,5,6,7,9= (3+4)/2= 7/2= 3.5
Mean: (1+2+2+2+3+4+5+6+7+9)/10 = 41/10 = 4.1
Range: 9-1 = 8
3. Give a concrete example for when a) the mode, b) the median, and c) the mean would be the
best central tendency to report. Why? (4 points)
a) The mode is best used in nominal situations, where the numbers dont necessarily add up
to a specific value. For example, if someone took a survey of most traveled to states in
the U.S. and assigned each state a number, the number that was repeated the most (mode)
would appropriately represent which state saw the most travel.
b) The median is useful in times where the mean might not be appropriate, such as when
trying to display salary or socioeconomic class (as these numbers can be very skewed by
outliers). For example, if we were looking at 5 people and the salaries were 15,000,
20,000, 22,000, 25,000, and 100,000, the obvious outlier would make the average appear
to be much higher than it actually is (36,000) while the median would show a more
appropriate number (22,000).
c) The mean is best used in times where there arent significant outliers to skew or
misrepresent the data, so when the range of data is not extreme. If one was looking for
the average price of ice cream in Boston, you could assume that the range would be
between $2-$6 which is not very much at all (as it is highly unlikely to find an ice cream
for $0.25 and another for $25) so the mean would be appropriate to use.
4. For the following data, demonstrate that the computational formula for standard deviation
and the definitional formula for standard deviation produce the same answer. Please show
your work and formulas. Assume the data came from a sample. {14, 22, 12, 5, 18, 20, 22}
(8 points)
(x x)
n1
Definitional formula:
Mean deviation of x: (14+22+12+5+18+20+22)/7 = (113)/7= 16.1
(x-mean deviation): (16.1-14), (16.1-22), (16.1-12), (16.1-5), (16.1-18), (16.1-20), (16.122)= 2.1, -5.9, 4.1, 11.1, -1.9, -3.9, -5.9
2
x x (4.4+34.8+16.8+123.2+3.6+34.8)/n-1= (217.6)/6= 36.3
The variance is 29.01, therefore the standard deviation is
36.3 = 6.03
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Computational formula:
n1
x
n
x 2
x
n
232.86
6 =
x = 14
2
= (14+22+12+5+18+20+22)
/n= (113)
=12769/7 =1824.14
= 2057-1824.14 = 232.86
232.86
n1 = 232.86/ (7-1)=232.86/6 =38.81
38.81 = 6.23
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