CHAPTER 3. DATA DESCRIPTION
DATA DESCRIPTION
LESSON 3.1. MEASURE OF CENTRAL TENDENCY
A measure of center is a value at the center or middle of a
data set.
A. MEAN. The (arithmetic) mean is generally the most
important of all numerical measurements
used to describe data, and it is what most people call an
average. The arithmetic mean of a set of values is the
measure of center found by adding
the values and dividing the total by the number of values.
Example. Monitoring Lead in Air Listed below are
measured amounts of lead (in micrograms per cubic meter,
or mg m3) in the air. The Environmental
Protection Agency has established an air quality standard
for lead: 1.5 mg m3. The measurements shown below were
recorded at Building 5 of the World Trade Center site on
different days immediately following the destruction caused
by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. After the
collapse of the two World Trade Center buildings, there was
considerable concern
about the quality of the air. Find the mean for this sample of
measured levels of
lead in the air.
5.40 1.10 0.42 0.73 0.48 1.10
B. MEDIAN. The median of a data set is the measure of
center that is the middle value when
the original data values are arranged in order of increasing (or
decreasing) magnitude. The symbol for the median is MD.
Example.
Monitoring Lead in Air Listed below are measured
amounts of lead (in mg m3) in the air. Find the median for
this sample.
5.40 1.10 0.42 0.73 0.48 1.10
C. MODE. The mode of a data set, often denoted by M, is the
value that occurs most
frequently.
_ When two values occur with the same greatest frequency,
each one is a
mode and the data set is bimodal.
_ When more than two values occur with the same greatest
frequency, each
is a mode and the data set is said to be multimodal.
_ When no value is repeated, we say that there is no mode.
D. MEAN FROM A FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION
CHAPTER 3.
LESSON 3.1. MEASURE OF CENTRAL TENDENCY
A measure of center is a value at the center or middle of a
data set.
A. MEAN. The (arithmetic) mean is generally the most
important of all numerical measurements
used to describe data, and it is what most people call an
average. The arithmetic mean of a set of values is the
measure of center found by adding
the values and dividing the total by the number of values.
Example. Monitoring Lead in Air Listed below are
measured amounts of lead (in micrograms per cubic meter,
or mg m3) in the air. The Environmental
Protection Agency has established an air quality standard
for lead: 1.5 mg m3. The measurements shown below were
recorded at Building 5 of the World Trade Center site on
different days immediately following the destruction caused
by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. After the
collapse of the two World Trade Center buildings, there was
considerable concern
about the quality of the air. Find the mean for this sample of
measured levels of
lead in the air.
5.40 1.10 0.42 0.73 0.48 1.10
B. MEDIAN. The median of a data set is the measure of
center that is the middle value when
the original data values are arranged in order of increasing (or
decreasing) magnitude. The symbol for the median is MD.
Example.
Monitoring Lead in Air Listed below are measured
amounts of lead (in mg m3) in the air. Find the median for
this sample.
5.40 1.10 0.42 0.73 0.48 1.10
C. MODE. The mode of a data set, often denoted by M, is the
value that occurs most
frequently.
_ When two values occur with the same greatest frequency,
each one is a
mode and the data set is bimodal.
_ When more than two values occur with the same greatest
frequency, each
is a mode and the data set is said to be multimodal.
_ When no value is repeated, we say that there is no mode.
D. MEAN FROM A FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION
Example.
E. WEIGHTED MEAN. In some cases, the values vary in their
degree of importance, so we may want to weight them
accordingly. We can then proceed to compute a weighted
mean, which is a mean computed with the different values
assigned different weights.
For example, suppose we need a mean of three test scores
(85, 90, 75), but the first test counts for 20%, the second test
counts for 30%, and the third test counts for 50% of the
final grade. We can assign weights of 20, 30, and 50 to the
test scores, then proceed to calculate the mean by using the
formula.
SKEWNESS. A comparison of the mean, median, and
mode can reveal information about the
characteristic of skewness. A distribution of data is skewed if
it is not symmetric and extends more to one
side than the other. (A distribution of data is symmetric if the
left half of its histogram is roughly a mirror image of its right
half.)
SEATWORK.
1. Find (a) the mean, (b) the median, (c) the mode
2. Find the mean. Executive Bonuses A random sample of bonuses
(in millions) paid by large companies to their
executives is shown.
3. Final Grade An instructor grades exams, 20%; term
paper, 30%; final exam, 50%. A student had grades of
83, 72, and 90, respectively, for exams, term paper, and
final exam. Find the student’s final average. Use the
weighted mean.
Example.
E. WEIGHTED MEAN. In some cases, the values vary in their
degree of importance, so we may want to weight them
accordingly. We can then proceed to compute a weighted
mean, which is a mean computed with the different values
assigned different weights.
For example, suppose we need a mean of three test scores
(85, 90, 75), but the first test counts for 20%, the second test
counts for 30%, and the third test counts for 50% of the
final grade. We can assign weights of 20, 30, and 50 to the
test scores, then proceed to calculate the mean by using the
formula.
SKEWNESS. A comparison of the mean, median, and
mode can reveal information about the
characteristic of skewness. A distribution of data is skewed if
it is not symmetric and extends more to one
side than the other. (A distribution of data is symmetric if the
left half of its histogram is roughly a mirror image of its right
half.)
SEATWORK.
1. Find (a) the mean, (b) the median, (c) the mode
2. Find the mean. Executive Bonuses A random sample of bonuses
(in millions) paid by large companies to their
executives is shown.
3. Final Grade An instructor grades exams, 20%; term
paper, 30%; final exam, 50%. A student had grades of
83, 72, and 90, respectively, for exams, term paper, and
final exam. Find the student’s final average. Use the
weighted mean.
Lesson 3.2 Measures of Variation D. Variance and Standard Deviation for Grouped Data
A. Range. The range of a set of data is the difference between
the highest value and the
lowest value. To compute the range, simply subtract the
lowest value from the highest value.
Example. Let’s consider some specific waiting times (in
minutes) of bank customers.
BANK TELLER 1 TELLER 2 TELLER 3
1 4 7 7
2 1 3 4

B. Population Variance and Standard Deviation

Example. Find the variance and the standard deviation for the
frequency distribution. The data represent the number of miles
Example. Find the variance and standard deviation for brand B that 20 runners ran during one week.
paint. The months were
35, 45, 30, 35, 40, 25

Step 1. Find the mean.

Step 2. Subtract the mean from each value, and place the result
in column B of the table.
Step 3. Square each result and place the squares in column C
of the table.
Step 4. Find the sum of the squares in column C.
Step 5. Divide the sum by N to get the variance.
Step 6. Take the square root to get the standard deviation.
SEATWORK:
1. Find the range, variance, and standard deviation
C. Sample Variance and Standard Deviation Police Calls in Schools The number of incidents in which police
were needed for a sample of 10 schools in City A is 7, 37, 3, 8, 48,
11, 6, 0, 10, 3. Are the data consistent or do they vary? Explain your
answer.
2. Solve for the variance and standard deviation.
Battery Lives Eighty randomly selected batteries were
tested to determine their lifetimes (in hours). The
following frequency distribution was obtained.

Example. Find the sample variance and standard deviation for

the amount of Japanese auto
sales for a sample of 6 years shown. The data are in millions of
peso.
11.2, 11.9, 12.0, 12.8, 13.4, 14.3
Step 1. Find the sum of the values.
Step 2. Square each value and find the sum.
Step 3. Substitute in the formulas and solve.