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Guilherme Mazui

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What is the Difference Between Mean, Median and Mode?

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The difference between mean, median, and mode can be summarized as follows:

  1. Mean: This is the average value of a given set of numbers. To calculate the mean, add up all the numbers and then divide the sum by the total number of values.
  2. Median: The median is the middle value of a given set of numbers when they are arranged in ascending or descending order. If there is an even number of values, the median is the average of the two middle values.
  3. Mode: The mode is the number that occurs most frequently in a given set of numbers.

In summary, the mean is the average value, the median is the middle value, and the mode is the most frequently occurring number in a dataset. These three measures of central tendency are often used to describe the characteristics of a dataset, but they can be affected by outliers and should be used appropriately depending on the context and the nature of the data.

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  • What is the Difference Between Mean, Median and Mode?
  • Comparative Table: Mean, Median vs Mode

    • Comparative Table: Mean, Median vs Mode

    Here is a table highlighting the differences between mean, median, and mode:

    Characteristic Mean Median Mode
    Definition The average of a given set of observations The middle number in a given set of observations The most frequently occurred number in a given set of observations
    Calculation Add up all the numbers and divide by the total number of terms Place all the numbers in ascending order and take the middle number (or average of the middle pair of numbers if there is an even number of observations) Observe the frequency of each number in the dataset and identify the number with the highest frequency
    Use Cases Mean is preferred when data is normally distributed Median is the best representative when data distribution is skewed Mode is preferred when there is a nominal distribution of data
    Formulas Mean (x̄) = ∑x/N Median = (n + 1/2)th observation (if n is odd) or (n/2)th observation (if n is even) Mode is determined by observing the frequency of each number in the dataset

    Please note that the "Formulas" column is only applicable for the mean and median, as the mode does not have a specific formula to calculate it.

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    Guilherme Mazui

    Guilherme Mazui is graduated in journalism from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and a master's degree in Communication from the University of São Paulo (USP). In addition, he has experience in advertising writing and has worked as a content editor in several companies.