Which statistic is defined as the middle value when data are ordered?

Which statistic is defined as the middle value when data are ordered?

• A. Median
• B. Mean
• C. Mode
• D. Range

Answer: (A)

The middle value when data are ordered is the median. It splits the data into two halves so that half the observations fall at or below it and half at or above it. If there’s an odd number of data points, the median is the exact central value. If there’s an even number, the median is the average of the two central values. This makes the median a robust measure of central tendency, especially when data are skewed or contain outliers, since extreme values don’t pull it as much as the mean does. For comparison, the mean is the arithmetic average and can be distorted by outliers; the mode is the most frequent value and may not be unique; the range measures spread (max minus min) rather than central location. For example, with 1, 2, 3, 4, 100, the median is (2 + 3) / 2 = 2.5; with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, the median is 3.

The middle value when data are ordered is the median. It splits the data into two halves so that half the observations fall at or below it and half at or above it. If there’s an odd number of data points, the median is the exact central value. If there’s an even number, the median is the average of the two central values. This makes the median a robust measure of central tendency, especially when data are skewed or contain outliers, since extreme values don’t pull it as much as the mean does. For comparison, the mean is the arithmetic average and can be distorted by outliers; the mode is the most frequent value and may not be unique; the range measures spread (max minus min) rather than central location. For example, with 1, 2, 3, 4, 100, the median is (2 + 3) / 2 = 2.5; with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, the median is 3.