Measures of Central Tendency

The three main measures of central tendency are the mean, median, and mode, which are all used to describe a single “typical” or “central” value for a dataset. The mean is the average, calculated by summing all values and dividing by the number of values; the median is the middle value when the data is ordered; and the mode is the value that appears most frequently.

1. Mean: The arithmetic average of all the data points.

2. Median:

• The middle value of a dataset after it has been arranged in ascending or descending order.
• How to calculate:
  • If there is an odd number of values, the median is the single middle value.
  • If there is an even number of values, the median is the average of the two middle values.

3. Mode:

• The value that occurs most frequently in the dataset.
• How to calculate: Count the frequency of each value and identify the one that appears most often.
• Note: A dataset can have one mode, multiple modes, or no mode at all.