CHAPTER

THREE

MEASURES
OF CENTRAL
TENDENCY
Measures of Central Tendency
TheDefinition:
3 most common measures of central tendency are the mode, median, and mean.

• Mode:
Central the most
tendency is afrequent value.
descriptive summary of a dataset through a single value that reflects
•
the center of the data distribution. an ordered data set.
Median: the middle number in
• Mean: the sum of all values divided by the total number of values.

Different measures of central tendency can be easily demonstrated by the below chart:

Mean
Mean is the most commonly used measure of central tendency. There are different types of
mean, the arithmetic mean, geometric mean (GM) and harmonic mean (HM).

Arithmetic Mean

Definition:

Arithmetic Mean (AM) or called average is the ratio of all observations to the total number
of observations.
Arithmetic Mean Formula for ungrouped data

The population mean is represented by the Greek letter mu (μ). It is given by the formula

Where: N is the number of population.

The sample mean is represented by x bar ( ). It is given by the formula

Where: n is the number of terms in the sample.

Arithmetic Mean Formula for grouped data

The total number of observations, either N or n depending upon the population or sample

For Grouped Data:

Where:

fi= Frequency of ith class xi= Mid Value of ith class

k= number of Class

Properties of Arithmetic Mean

Some important properties of the arithmetic mean are as follows:

• The sum of deviations of the items from their arithmetic mean is always zero, i.e. ∑(x –
X) = 0.
• The sum of the squared deviations of the items from Arithmetic Mean (A.M) is
minimum, which is less than the sum of the squared deviations of the items from any
other values.
• If each item in the arithmetic series is substituted by the mean, then the sum of these
replacements will be equal to the sum of the specific items.
Merits of Arithmetic Mean

• The arithmetic mean is simple to understand and easy to calculate.

• It is influenced by the value of every item in the series.
• A.M is rigidly defined.
• It has the capability of further algebraic treatment.
• It is a measured value and not based on the position in the series.

Demerits of Arithmetic Mean

• It is changed by extreme items such as very small and very large items.
• It can rarely be identified by inspection.
• In some cases, A.M. does not represent the original item. For example, average patients
admitted to a hospital are 10.7 per day.
• The arithmetic mean is not suitable in extremely asymmetrical distributions.

Example:

The one-way train fare of five selected BS students is recorded as follows (birr) : 10, 5, 15, 8 and
12. Calculate the arithmetic mean of the following data.

Solution:

Let train fare be indicated by x, then

∑5𝑖=1 𝑥𝑖 = 10 + 5 + 15 + 8 + 12 = 50
∑5𝑖=1 𝑥𝑖 10+5+15+8+12 50
𝑥̅ = = = = 10 𝑏𝑖𝑟𝑟
5 5 5

Example:

Provide the given distribution of the following frequency distribution of first year students of a
particular college:

Age (Years) 13 14 15 16 17
Number of Students 2 5 13 7 3

Solution:

The given distribution is grouped data and the variable involved is ages of first year students,
while the number of students represents frequencies.
 Ages (Years) Number of Students Fx
x f
13 2 26
14 5 70
15 13 195
16 7 112
17 3 51
Total ∑ 𝑓 = 30 ∑ 𝑓𝑥 = 454

Now we will find the arithmetic mean as

∑ 𝑓𝑥 454
𝑥̅ = ∑𝑓
= = 15.13 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟
30

Example:

The following data shows the distance covered by 100 people to perform their routine jobs.

Distance (Km) 0 - 10 10 - 20 20 – 30 30 - 40
Number of People 10 20 40 30

Solution:

The given distribution is grouped data and the variable involved is distance covered, while the
number of people represents frequencies.

Distance (Km) Number of People Mid Points fx

f x
0 – 10 10 5 50
10 – 20 20 15 300
20 – 30 40 25 1000
30 – 40 30 35 1050
Total ∑ 𝑓 = 100 ∑ 𝑓𝑥 = 2400

Now we will find the arithmetic mean as

∑ 𝑓𝑥 2400
𝑥̅ = ∑𝑓
= = 24 𝐾𝑚
100
Harmonic Mean

Definition:
{{{}}{{{{
The Harmonic Mean (HM) is defined as the reciprocal of the arithmetic mean of the given
data values.

Harmonic Mean Formula

Since the harmonic mean is the reciprocal of the arithmetic mean, the formula to define the
harmonic mean “HM” is given as follows:

If x1, x2, x3,…, xn are the individual items up to n terms, then,

𝑛
Harmonic Mean, 𝐻𝑀 = 1 1 1 1
+ + +⋯+
𝑥1 𝑥2 𝑥3 𝑥𝑛

Weighted Harmonic Mean

Calculating weighted harmonic mean is similar to the simple harmonic mean. It is a special case
of harmonic mean where all the weights are equal to 1. If the set of weights such as w1, w2, w3,
…, wn connected with the sample space x1, x2, x3,…., xn.

The weighted harmonic mean can be calculated using the following formula:

∑𝑛𝑖=1 𝑤𝑖 ∑𝑛𝑖=1 𝑤𝑖
𝐻𝑀 = 𝑤 = 𝑤1 𝑤2 𝑤3 𝑤𝑛
∑𝑛𝑖=1 𝑖 + + + ⋯ +
𝑥𝑖 𝑖 𝑥1 𝑥2 𝑥3 𝑥𝑛

If the frequencies “f” is supposed to be the weights “w”, then the harmonic mean is calculated as
follows:

If x1, x2, x3,…., xn are n items with corresponding frequencies f1, f2, f3, …., fn, then the
grouped harmonic mean is
∑𝑛𝑖=1 𝑓𝑖 𝑛
𝐻𝑀 = =
𝑓 𝑓1 𝑓2 𝑓3 𝑓𝑛
∑𝑛𝑖=1 𝑖
𝑥𝑖 𝑥1 + 𝑥2 + 𝑥3 + ⋯ + 𝑥𝑛

Note:
1. f values are considered as weights
2. For continuous series, mid-value = (Lower limit + Upper limit)/2 and is taken as x
Harmonic Mean Uses
The main uses of harmonic means are as follows:
• The harmonic mean is applied in the finance to the average multiples like price-earnings
ratio
• It is also used by the market technicians in order to determine the patterns like Fibonacci
Sequences
Merits and Demerits of Harmonic Mean

The following are the merits of the harmonic mean:

• It is rigidly confined.
• It is based on all the views of a series, i.e. it cannot be computed by ignoring any item of
a series.
• It is able to advance the algebraic method.
• It provides a more reliable result when the results to be achieved are the same for the
various means adopted.
• It provides the highest weight to the smallest item of a series.
• It can also be measured when a series holds any negative value.
• It produces a skewed distribution of a normal one.
• It produces a curve straighter than that of the A.M and G.M.

The demerits of the harmonic series are as follows:

• The harmonic mean is greatly affected by the values of the extreme items
• It cannot be able to calculate if any of the items is zero
• The calculation of the harmonic mean is cumbersome, as it involves the calculation using
the reciprocals of the number.

Example:

Find the HM of 3, 4,5,6,7, and 8

Solution:

Step I; The total number of values = 6

Step II; Let us find HM using the formula

𝑛 6 6
𝐻𝑀 = 1 1 1 1 1 1
= 1 1 1 1 1 1 = (1.216) = 4.93
( + + + + + ) ( + + + + + )
𝑥1 𝑥2 𝑥3 𝑥4 𝑥5 𝑥6 3 4 5 6 7 8
Example:

Find the H of 1, 2,5,7,9

Solution:

Step I; The total number of values = 5

Step II; Let us find HM using the formula

𝑛
𝑀= 1 1 1 1 1
( + + + + )
𝑥1 𝑥2 𝑥3 𝑥4 𝑥5

6
= 1 1 1 1 1
( + + + + )
1 2 5 7 9

6
= (1.95) = 3.07

Therefore, the harmonic mean HM is 3.07.

Example:

Find the HM for the following distribution:

Solution:

For the given data, formula to find HM is given by

𝑁
𝐻𝑀 = 𝑓
∑( 𝑖 )
𝑥𝑖

Here 𝑁 = ∑ 𝑓 = 2 + 3 + 3 + 2 = 10 and 𝑥 = 2, 4, 8, 6
𝑁 10 10
𝐻𝑀 = 𝑓 𝑓 𝑓 𝑓 = 2 3 3 2 = 2.25 = 4.44
( 1+ 2+ 3+ 4) ( + + + )
2 4 8 16
𝑥1 𝑥2 𝑥3 𝑥4

Therefore, the harmonic mean HM is 4.44.

Example

Calculate the harmonic mean for the following data:

x 1 3 5 7 9 11
f 2 4 6 8 10 12

Solution:

The calculation for the harmonic mean is shown in the below table:

x f 1/x f/x
1 2 1 2
3 4 0.333 1.332
5 6 0.2 1.2
7 8 0.143 1.144
9 10 0.1111 1.111
11 12 0.091 1.092
N =42 Σ f/x = 7.879

The formula for weighted harmonic mean is

𝑁 42
𝐻𝑀 = 𝑓 𝑓 𝑓 𝑓 𝑓 𝑓
= (7.879) = 5.331
( 1+ 2+ 3+ 4+ 5+ 6)
𝑥1 𝑥2 𝑥3 𝑥4 𝑥5 𝑥6

Therefore, the harmonic mean HM is 5.331.

Geometric Mean

Geometric
Definition:Mean

The geometric mean is the average growth of an investment computed by multiplying n

variables and then taking the nth –root.

.Geometric Mean Formula

The formula to calculate the geometric mean is given below:

For ungrouped data:

If x1, x2 …. xn are the observation, and then the Geometric Mean is defined as:
1
𝐺. 𝑀 = 𝑛√𝑥1 ∗ 𝑥2 ∗ 𝑥3 ∗ … ∗ 𝑥𝑛 = (𝑥1 ∗ 𝑥2 ∗ 𝑥3 ∗ … ∗ 𝑥𝑛 )𝑛

For grouped data

If we have a series of n positive values with repeated values such as x1,x2,x3,…,xk which are
repeated f1,f2,f3,…,fk times respectively, then the geometric mean will become:

1
𝑛
𝑓 𝑓 𝑓 𝑓 𝑓 𝑓 𝑓 𝑓
𝐺. 𝑀 = √𝑥11 ∗ 𝑥22 ∗ 𝑥33 ∗ … ∗ 𝑥𝑛𝑛 = (𝑥11 ∗ 𝑥22 ∗ 𝑥33 ∗ … ∗ 𝑥𝑛𝑛 )𝑛

Where n = f1+f2+f3+⋯+fk

Merits of Geometric Mean

• It is rigidly defined.
• It is based on all the items.
• It is capable of further algebraic treatment.
• It gives less weight to large items and more to small items.

Demerits of Geometric Mean

• It is difficult to compute.
• It is not easy to understand.
• If there are negative values in the series, it can not be computed.
Example of Suitable Average

• Geometric mean is considered as the best average in the construction of index numbers.
• When large weights are to be given to small items and small weights to large items,
geometric mean is very useful.
• It is useful in averaging rates; ratios and percentages.

Example:

Find the GM of 2, 4 and 8.

Solution:

For the given data, the formula to find geometric-mean is given by

1
𝐺𝑀 = (𝑥1 × 𝑥2 × 𝑥3 … 𝑥𝑛 )𝑛

Fitting the given data in to the above formula, we get

1
𝐺𝑀 = (𝑥1 × 𝑥2 × 𝑥3 )3
1
𝐺𝑀 = (2 × 4 × 8)3
1
𝐺𝑀 = (64)3 = 4

Example:

Find the GM of 3, 6 and 12.

Solution:

For the given data, the formula to find geometric-mean is given by

1
𝐺𝑀 = (𝑥1 × 𝑥2 × 𝑥3 … 𝑥𝑛 )𝑛

Fitting the given data in to the above formula, we get

1
𝐺𝑀 = (𝑥1 × 𝑥2 × 𝑥3 )3
 1
𝐺𝑀 = (3 × 6 × 12)3
1
𝐺𝑀 = (216)3 = 6

GM = 6

Example:

Find the GM for the following distribution:

Solution:

Examples:

Find the G.M of the values 10, 25, 5, and 30

Solution:

Given 10, 25, 5, 30

We know that,
1
𝐺𝑀 = (𝑥1 × 𝑥2 × 𝑥3 … 𝑥𝑛 )𝑛

Fitting the given data in to the above formula, we get

1
𝐺𝑀 = (𝑥1 × 𝑥2 × 𝑥3 × 𝑥4 )4
 1
𝐺𝑀 = (10 × 25 × 5 × 30)4
1
𝐺𝑀 = (37500)4 = 13.92

GM = 13.92

Therefore, the geometric mean = 13.915

Example:

Find the geometric mean of the following data.

Weight of ear head x ( g) Log x

45 1.653
60 1.778
48 1.681
100 2.000
65 1.813
Total 8.925

Solution: Here n=5

GM = Antilog∑logxin

= Antilog 8.925/5

= Antilog 1.785

= 60.95

Therefore the G.M of the given data is 60.95

Example:

Find the geometric mean of the following grouped data for the frequency distribution of weights.

Weights of ear heads (g) No of ear heads (f)

60-80 22
80-100 38
100-120 45
120-140 35
 140-160 20
Total 160

Solution:

Weights of ear heads (g) No of ear heads (f) Mid x Log x f log x
60-80 22 70 1.845 40.59
80-100 38 90 1.954 74.25
100-120 45 110 2.041 91.85
120-140 35 130 2.114 73.99
140-160 20 150 2.716 43.52
Total 160 324.2

From the given data, n = 160

We know that the G.M for the grouped data is

GM = Antilog∑flogxin

GM = Antilog ( 324.2 /160 )

GM = Antilog ( 2.02625 )

GM = 106.23

Therefore, the G.M = 106.23

Median
Definition:

Median is a statistical measure that determines the middle value of a dataset listed in
ascending order (i.e., from smallest to largest value).

How to calculate Median step by step?

You can use the following steps to calculate the median.

For ungrouped data:

Step 1: Arrange the given values in the ascending order.

Step 2: Find the number of observations in the given set of data. It is denoted by n.

𝑛+1 𝑡ℎ
Step 3: If n is odd, the median equals the [( ) 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚] observation.
2

𝑛 𝑡ℎ 𝑛+1 𝑡ℎ
Step 4: If n is even, then the median is given by [(2) +( ) ] 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚
2

For grouped data

Step 1: Make a table with 4 columns. First column for the class interval, second column
for frequency, f, the third column for cumulative frequency, cf and fourth
column for class boundary if necessary.
Step 2: Write the class intervals and the corresponding frequency in the respective
columns.
Step 3: Obtain N and find N2.
Step 4: Find the class whose cumulative frequency is just greater than the value N2.
This class is known as the median class.
Step 5: To calculate median, use the formula
𝒏
−𝒄𝒇
𝑴𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏 = 𝑳 + (𝟐 𝒇 ) × 𝒘
L= lower limit of median class
n = no. of observations
cf =denotes cumulative frequency of the class preceding the median class
f = frequency of median class
w = class size (assuming classes are of equal size)
Example 1:

Find the Median of 14, 63 and 55

Solution:

Put them in ascending order: 14, 55, 63

The middle number is 55, so the median is 55.

Example 2:

Find the median of the following:

4, 17, 77, 25, 22, 23, 92, 82, 40, 24, 14, 12, 67, 23, 29

Solution:

When we put those numbers in the order we have:

4, 12, 14, 17, 22, 23, 23, 24, 25, 29, 40, 67, 77, 82, 92,

There are fifteen numbers.

Odd Number of Observations

If the total number of observation is odd (i.e. 15), then the formula to calculate the median is:

(𝑛+1) 𝑡ℎ
𝑀𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑛 = [ ] 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚
2

(15+1) 𝑡ℎ (16) 𝑡ℎ
𝑀𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑛 = [ ] 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚 = [ ] 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚 = [8]𝑡ℎ 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚
2 2

Our middle is the eighth number:

The median value of this set of numbers is 24.

Example 3:

Rahul’s family drove through 7 states on summer vacation. The prices of Gasoline differ from
state to state. Calculate the median of gasoline cost.

1.79, 1.61, 2.09, 1.84, 1.96, 2.11, 1.75

Solution:

By organizing the data from smallest to greatest, we get:

If the total number of observation is odd (i.e. 7), then the formula to calculate the median is:

(𝑛+1) 𝑡ℎ (7+1) 𝑡ℎ (8) 𝑡ℎ

𝑀𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑛 = [ ] 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚 = [ ] 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚 = [ 2 ] 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚 = [4]𝑡ℎ 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚
2 2

Our middle is the fourth number. i.e. 1.84

1.61, 1.75, 1.79, 1.84, 1.96, 2.09, 2.11

Hence, the median of the gasoline cost is 1.84. There are three states with greater gasoline costs
and 3 with smaller prices.

Example:
Find the median of the values 5, 7, 10, 20, 16, 12

Solution:

Arrange the data 5, 7, 10, 12, 16, 20

𝑛+1 𝑡ℎ
Median = Value of ( ) 𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑚
2

𝑛+1 𝑡ℎ 6+1 𝑡ℎ
Median = Value of ( ) 𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑚 = ( ) 𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑚 = 3.5𝑡ℎ 𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑚
2 2

10+12
Median = = 11
2
Example:

The following are the marks scored by the students in the Summative Assessment exam.

Calculate the median.

Solution:

Median class = (N/2)th value

= (50/2)th value

= 25th value

Median class = 30 - 40

l = 30, N//2 = 25, cf = 24, f = 10 and w = 10

𝑵
−𝒄𝒇
𝑴𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏 = 𝑳 + ( 𝟐 )×𝒘
𝒇

Substitute.
50
−24 25−24
𝑀𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑛 = 30 + ( 2 10 ) × 10 = 30 + ( 10
)× 10 = 31
Example:

The following table gives the weekly expenditure of 200 families. Find the median of the weekly
expenditure.

Solution:

Median class = (N/2)th value

= (200/2)th value

= 100th value

Median class = 2000 - 3000

L = 2000, N//2 = 100, cf = 74, f = 54 and w= 1000

𝑵
−𝒄𝒇
𝟐
𝑴𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏 = 𝑳 + ( 𝒇
)×𝒘

Substitute.
200
−74 100−74
2
𝑀𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑛 = 2000 + ( ) × 1000 = 2000 + ( ) × 1000 = 2481.5
54 54

𝑀𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑛 = 2481.5
Example:

Calculate the median from the following data:

Group 60 – 64 65 – 69 70 – 74 75 – 79 80 – 84 85 – 89

Frequency 1 5 9 12 7 2

Solution:

Cumulative
Group f Class Boundary
Frequency

60 – 64 1 59.5 – 64.5 1

65 – 69 5 64.5 – 69.5 6

70 – 74 9 69.5 – 74.5 15

75 – 79 12 74.5 – 79.5 27

80 – 84 7 79.5 – 84.5 34

85 – 89 2 84.5 – 89.5 36

To find Median Class

𝑛 𝑡ℎ
= value of ( 2) observation
36 𝑡ℎ
= value of ( 2 ) observation
= value of 18th observation

From the column of cumulative frequency cf, we find that the 18th observation lies in the class
75-79.

∴ the median class is 75 - 79.

Now,

∴L=lower boundary point of median class =74.5

∴ n=Total frequency = 36

∴ cf=Cumulative frequency of the class preceding the median class =15

 ∴ f=Frequency of the median class =12

∴c=class length of median class =5

𝑛 36
−𝑐𝑓 −15
2 2
𝑀𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑛 = 𝐿 + ( ) 𝑤 = 74.5 + ( ) × 5 = 75.75
𝑓 12

Example:

The Median of the following data is 24. Find the value of x.

Solution:

Since the median is 24 and median class is 20 – 30.

L = 20 N = 55 + x, cf = 30, w = 10, f = x
𝑵
−𝒄𝒇
𝟐
𝑴𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏 = 𝑳 + ( 𝒇
)×𝒘

Substitute.
55+𝑥
−30
2
24 = 20 + ( 𝑥
) × 10

55+𝑥
−30
2
4=( 𝑥
) × 10
 55+𝑥−60
2
4=( 𝑥
) × 10

𝑥−5
4 = ( 2𝑥 ) × 10

10𝑥−50
4=( 2𝑥
)

8𝑥 = (10𝑥 − 50)

2𝑥 = 50

𝑥 = 25
Mode

Definition:

The mode is the value that appears most frequently in a data set. A set of data may have one
mode, more than one mode, or no mode at all.

How to calculate Mode step by step?

You can use the following steps to calculate the mode.

Grouped data

Step 1: Prepare the frequency distribution table in such a way that its first column
consists of the observations and the second column the respective frequency.

Step 2: Determine the class of maximum frequency by inspection. This class is called
the modal class.

Step 3: To calculate mode, use the formula

𝒇𝟏 − 𝒇𝟎
𝑴𝒐𝒅𝒆 = 𝑳 + ( )×𝒘
𝟐𝒇𝟏 − 𝒇𝒐 − 𝒇𝟐

Where,

L = lower limit of the modal class

w = size of the class interval

f1 = frequency of the modal class

f0 = frequency of the class preceding the modal class

f2 = frequency of the class succeeding the modal class

Example:

Find the mode of the given data set: 3, 3, 6, 9, 15, 15, 15, 27, 27, 37, 48.

Solution:

In the following list of numbers,

3, 3, 6, 9, 15, 15, 15, 27, 27, 37, 48

15 is the mode since it is appearing more number of times in the set compared to other numbers.

Example:

Find the mode of 4, 4, 4, 9, 15, 15, 15, 27, 37, 48 data set.

Solution:

Given: 4, 4, 4, 9, 15, 15, 15, 27, 37, 48 is the data set.

As we know, a data set or set of values can have more than one mode if more than one value
occurs with equal frequency and number of time compared to the other values in the set.

Hence, here both the number 4 and 15 are modes of the set.

Example:

Find the mode of 3, 6, 9, 16, 27, 37, 48.

Solution:

If no value or number in a data set appears more than once, then the set has no mode.

Hence, for set 3, 6, 9, 16, 27, 37, 48, there is no mode available.
Example:

In a class of 30 students marks obtained by students in mathematics out of 50 is tabulated as

below. Calculate the mode of data given.

Solution:

The maximum class frequency is 12 and the class interval corresponding to this frequency is
20 – 30. Thus, the modal class is 20 – 30.

Lower limit of the modal class (L) = 20

Size of the class interval (w) = 10

Frequency of the modal class (f1) = 12

Frequency of the class preceding the modal class (f0) = 5

Frequency of the class succeeding the modal class (f2) = 8

Substituting these values in the formula we get;

𝑓 −𝑓
1 0 12−5
𝑀𝑜𝑑𝑒 = 𝐿 + (2𝑓 −𝑓 ) × 𝑤 = 20 + ((2×12)−5−8) × 10 = 26.36
1−𝑓 𝑜 2
MIXED QUESTIONS ON MEAN MEDIAN AND
MODE FOR UNGROUPED DATA
Question 1 :
The monthly salary (in $) of 10 employees in a factory are given below :

5000, 7000, 5000, 7000, 8000, 7000, 7000, 8000, 7000, 5000

Find the mean, median and mode.

Solution :
Mean :

= (5000 + 7000 + 5000 + 7000 + 8000 + 7000 + 7000 + 8000 + 7000 + 5000)/10

= 66000/10

= 6600

Median :

5000, 5000, 5000, 7000, 7000, 7000, 7000, 7000, 8000, 8000

Number of observations = 10 (Even)

Median = {(10/2)th observation + [(10/2) + 1]th}/2

= (5th observation + 6th observation)/2

= (7000 + 7000)/2

= 14000/2

= 7000

Mode :

7000 is repeating 5 times. Hence mode is 7000.

Question 2 :
Find the mode of the given data : 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 2.1, 1.3, 3.3, 3.1

Solution :
3.1 and 3.3 are repeating twice, so mode is 3.1 and 3.3

It is a bimodal data.

Question 3 :
For the data 11, 15, 17, x+1, 19, x–2, 3 if the mean is 14 , find the value of x. Also find the mode
of the data.

Solution :
Mean = (11 + 15 + 17 + x + 1 + 19 + x - 2 + 3)/7

14 = (64 + 2x)/7

14(7) = 64 + 2x

2x = 98 - 64

2x = 34

x = 34/2 = 17

By applying the value of x in the given observation, we get

11, 15, 17, 18, 19, 15, 3

Mode = 15 (Repeating twice)

Question 4 :
The demand of track suit of different sizes as obtained by a survey is given below:

Solution :
Demand for the size 40 is 37.

Hence the demand of size 40 is high.

Steps in Finding the Mode of Grouped Data

In case of a grouped frequency distribution, the exact values of the variables are not known and
as such it is very difficult to locate mode accurately

The class interval with maximum frequency is called the modal class.

Where l - lower limit of the modal class;

f - frequency of the modal class

f1 - frequency of the class just preceding the modal class

f2 - frequency of the class succeeding the modal class

c - width of the class interval

Question 5 :
Find the mode of the following data:

Solution :
Marks Number of students

0-10 22

10-20 38

20-30 46

30-40 34

40-50 20

The highest frequency is 46

modal class is 20 - 30

l = 20, f = 46, f1 = 38, f2 = 34, c = 10

= 20 + [(46-38)/2(46) - 38 - 34] x 10

= 20 + [8/(92 - 38 - 34)] x 10

= 20 + [8/20] x 10

= 20 + 4

= 24

Hence the mode is 24.

Question 6 :
Find the mode of the following distribution:

Solution :
Marks Number of students

24.5 - 34.5 4

34.5 - 44.5 8

44.5 - 54.5 10

54.5 - 64.5 14

64.5 - 74.5 8

74.5 - 84.5 6

The highest frequency is 14

modal class is 54.5 - 64.5

l = 54.5, f = 14, f1 = 10, f2 = 8, c = 10

= 54.5 + [(14 - 10)/2(14) - 10 - 8] x 10

= 54.5 + [4/(28 - 18)] x 10

= 54.5 + [4/10] x 10

= 54.5 + 4

= 58.5

Hence the mode is 58.5.

Summary of when to use the mean, median and mode

Please use the following summary table to know what the best measure of central tendency is
with respect to the different types of data.

Type of Variable Best measure of central tendency

Nominal Mode
Ordinal Median
Interval/Ratio (not skewed) Mean
Interval/Ratio (skewed) Median

Distributions and central tendency

A data set is a distribution of n number of scores or values.
Distributions and central tendency
A data set is a distribution of n number of scores or values.

Normal distribution

In a normal distribution, data is symmetrically distributed with no skew. Most values cluster
around a central region, with values tapering off as they go further away from the center. The
mean, mode and median are exactly the same in a normal distribution.

Example: Normal distribution. you survey a sample in your local community on the number of
books they read in the last year.

A histogram of your data shows the frequency of responses for each possible number of books.
From looking at the chart, you see that there is a normal distribution.

The mean, median, and mode are all equal; the central tendency of this data set is 8.

Skewed distributions

In skewed distributions, more values fall on one side of the center than the other, and the mean,
median and mode all differ from each other. One side has a more spread out and longer tail with
fewer scores at one end than the other. The direction of this tail tells you the side of the skew

In a positively skewed distribution, there’s a cluster of lower scores and a spread out tail on the
right. In a negatively skewed distribution, there’s a cluster of higher scores and a spread out tail
on the left.
Positively skewed distribution

In this histogram, your distribution is skewed to the right, and the central tendency of your data
set is on the lower end of possible scores.

In a positively skewed distribution, mode < median < mean.

Negatively skewed distribution

In this histogram, your distribution is skewed to the left, and the central tendency of your data set
is towards the higher end of possible scores.

In a negatively skewed distribution, mean < median < mode.