Central Tendency & Dispersion

Question 1

Mean eval.

Answer 1

Pros
Reflects the values of all the data in final calc. so is ‘senstive’

Cons
Can be unrepresentative if there are extreme values

Question 2

Median eval.

Answer 2

Pros
Not affected by extreme values

Cons
Not all values reflected in final calc. so not ‘sensitive’

Question 3

Mode eval.

Answer 3

Pros
Useful when data is in categories (nominal)

Cons
Not useful when there are several modes

Question 4

Range eval.

Answer 4

Pros
Expresses how data is spread out
Easy to calculate

Cons
Affected by extremes
Doesn’t account for distribution of the data

Question 5

Standard Deviation eval.

Answer 5

Pros
Precise measure of dispersion as all values taken into account

Cons
May hide some of the characteristics of the data set