Descriptive Statistics Flashcards
What is the mean
Mathematical average of a set of two or more numbers.
How do you calculate the mean
Add up all the numbers then dividing by how many numbers there are.
Advantages of using the mean
- More representative as it takes into account all scores.
Disadvantages of using the mean
- Can be skewed by outliers to become unreliable.
What is the median
The middle number in a sorted list.
How do you calculate the median
Put all numbers in order (ascending/descending) and chose the middle number.
Advantages of the median
- Can’t be skewed as doesn’t take into account extreme scores.
- Easy to calculate.
Disadvantages of the median
- Less representative as it doesn’t take into account all scores.
What is the mode
The value that appears the most frequently in a data set.
How do u calculate the mode
Look at a data set an chose a number that appears most frequently.
Advantages of the mode
- Can’t be skewed.
- Easy to calculate.
Disadvantages of the mode
- Less representative as doesn’t take into account all scores.
- Some sets of data may not have a mode.
What is the range
The difference between the lowest and highest values.
How do you calculate the range
Subtract the lowest number in a data set from the highest number in the data set.
Advantages of using the range
- Easy to calculate.
Disadvantages of using the range
- Low representativeness as it only takes into account the two most extreme scores.
What is standard deviation
A measure of how dispersed the data is in relation to the mean.
Advantages of standard deviation
- Highly precise representation of dispersion as all values are included in final calculation.
Disadvantages of standard deviation
- Similar to the mean, it can be affected by outliers.
