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The following are measurements of the breaking strength (in ounces) of a sample of 100 linen threads: 32.5 15.

2 21.2 28.3 42.3 33.7 20.6 29.5 25.4 34.1 35.4 21.3 27.1 25.0 29.4 43.9 21.8 37.5 28.4 32.7 29.3 33.5 26.9 34.6 29.3 24.5 29.5 30.2 23.9 23.0 17.3 29.6 22.7 25.4 17.3 29.6 22.4 25.4 31.0 26.4

29.0 36.8 39.2 23.5 26.8 28.7 34.8 18.6 31.3 33.2 37.0 28.3 34.5 23.6 38.4 24.0

27.5 29.6 22.2 28.1 29.3 33.5 28.1 18.1

36.9 24.6 28.9 24.8 27.3 33.7 20.6 29.5 29.4 41.9 21.8 37.5

40.0 36.6 29.2 23.4 26.8 28.7 34.8 18.6 34.5 23.6 15.5 23.6 32.4 20.0 38.4 24.0

25.9 24.6 26.9 24.8 36.7 22.6 28.7 24.8

1. Group these measurements into a distribution having the classes:

[15, 20), [20, 25), [25, 30), [30, 35), [35, 40), [40, 45)

2. Find:
a. the class marks.

b. the class interval.

3. Construct a histogram .

4. Convert the distribution obtained into a cumulative distribution and graph


Calculation of the sample median with even sample size An engineering group receives email requests for technical information from sales and service persons. The daily numbers for six days are 11 9 17 19 4 and 15. Find the mean and the median. Solution The mean is x= 11 + 9 + 17 + 19 + 4 + 15 6 = 12.5 requests and, ordering the data from the smallest to largest 4 9 |11{z15} 17 19 the median, the mean of the third and fourth largest values, is 13 requests. 40
0 5 10 15 20 x 12.5 email requests

FIGURE 2.11 The interpretation of the sample mean as a balance point.

The sample mean has a physical interpretation as the balance point, or center of mass, of a data set. Figure 2.11 is the dot diagram for the data on the number of email requests given in the previous example. In the dot diagram, each observation is represented by a ball placed at the appropriate distance along the horizontal axis. If the balls are considered as masses having equal weights and the horizontal axis is weightless, then the mean corresponds to the center of inertia or balance point of the data. This interpretation of the sample mean, as the balance point of the observations, holds for any data set. Although the mean and the median each provide a single number to represent an entire set of data, the mean is usually preferred in problems of estimation and other problems of statistical inference. An intuitive reason for preferring the mean is that the median does not utilize all the information contained in the observations. The following is an example where the median actually gives a more useful description of a set of data than the mean. EXAMPLE The median is unaffected by a few outliers A small company employs four young engineers, who each earn $40,000, and the owner (also an engineer), who gets $130,000. Comment on the claim that on the average the company pays $58,000 to its engineers and, hence, is a good place to work. 41 Solution The mean of the five salaries is $58,000, but it hardly describes the situation. The median, on the other hand, is $40,000 and it is most representative of what a young engineer earns with the firm. Money wise, the company is not such a good place for young engineers. This example illustrates that there is always an inherent danger when summarizing a set of data by means of a single number. One of the most important characteristics of almost any set of data is that the values are not all alike; indeed, the extent to which they are unlike, or vary among themselves, is of basic importance in statistics. Measures such as the mean and median describe one important aspect of a set of data their middle or their average but they tell us nothing about this other basic characteristic. We observe that the dispersion of a set of data is small if the values are closely bunched about their mean, and that it is large if the values are scattered widely about their mean. It would seem reasonable, therefore, to measure the variation of a set of data in terms of the amounts by which the values deviate from their mean.its Ogive.

The median is unaffected by a few outliers A small company employs four young engineers, who each earn $40,000, and the owner (also an engineer), who gets $130,000. Comment on the claim that on the average the company pays $58,000 to its engineers and, hence, is a good place to work. 41 Solution The mean of the five salaries is $58,000, but it hardly describes the situation. The median, on the other hand, is $40,000 and it is most representative of what a young engineer earns with the firm. Money wise, the company is not such a good place for young engineers. This example illustrates that there is always an inherent danger when summarizing a set of data by means of a single number.

Mean is affected by extreem data in your study. mode is best used to countercheck if you have 2 mixed distribution is your study.

It will all make sense in statistics. If you have your mean, then that shows you your overall data. Now when you compare your median to your mean, then you can see how far the data is skewed from what it should actually be. In other words how far your data is from being normal or truthful. Take, for instance, the NFL players salaries. Now there are many players in the NFL, but not as many actually make millions. So your data will show a range of, let's say $50,000 to $50 million (not sure what the actual range would be sorry). Now a few of them will be making millions; Whereas a lot will be making a lot of money in the middle, and even more will be making the smaller amounts. Now when you find your mean of the data, it will be skewed or otherwise be leaning toward the direction of the high earners. But since you can't leave out the low earners as well, your median will be under the mean. This shows us that there is not a normal distribution of the money in the NFL. But without the median, it would seem that everyone in the NFL is making the big money. Companies use this strategie a lot to fool people into believing what is not really there by not showing both the mean and the median. Your data can be very misrepresented without both. And the mode shows the overall range that your data fits into. Hope that helps a little.

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