A researcher records the following data for the number of complaints filed (per day)following a controversial policy change at a local business: 3,8,5,0,4,6,2,1,1,4,2,and 0.Is the mean equal to the median in this example?
A) Yes.
B) No; the median is larger than the mean.
C) No; the mean is larger than the median.
D) There is not enough information to answer this question.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The mean (average) is calculated by adding all the numbers together and dividing by the total count: (3+8+5+0+4+6+2+1+1+4+2+0)/12 = 36/12 = 3. The median is the middle value when the numbers are arranged in order, which, for these 12 numbers, is the average of the 6th and 7th values (2 and 2), so the median is also 2. Therefore, the mean (3) is larger than the median (2).

A Researcher Records the Following Data for the Number of Complaints