Measure of Central Tendency

B

This is exactly how the median is found. Make sure you know how to find the median in a frequency distribution also.

The measure of central tendency that is found by arranging the data from low to high and selecting the middle value is called the "median."

The median is a statistical measure that represents the middle value of a dataset when it is arranged in ascending or descending order. To calculate the median, you must first sort the data in either increasing or decreasing order. Once the data is ordered, you select the value that falls exactly in the middle.

Here's an example to illustrate how to find the median:

Let's say we have a dataset of exam scores: 65, 78, 81, 89, 92, 95, 96, 98.

Step 1: Sort the data in ascending order: 65, 78, 81, 89, 92, 95, 96, 98.

Step 2: Determine the middle value. Since the dataset contains eight values, the middle value will be the fourth value, which is 89.

Therefore, the median of this dataset is 89.

The median is a useful measure of central tendency because it is not influenced by extreme values or outliers in the dataset. It represents the value that divides the dataset into two equal halves, with 50% of the data falling below it and 50% above it.

In the given options, the correct answer is B. Median, as it accurately describes the measure of central tendency being discussed. The other options are not applicable in this context:

• A. Geometric mean is the average of a set of numbers calculated using the product of the numbers, which is not related to arranging data and selecting the middle value.
• C. None of these answers does not apply as the correct answer is one of the provided options.
• D. Mean is another measure of central tendency, commonly known as the average, but it is not found by selecting the middle value of the ordered data.
• E. Mode is the value that appears most frequently in a dataset and is also not found by arranging data and selecting the middle value.