Mode, median, mean and range
Line up data cards to find the median, read the mode and range from a dot plot, watch the mean move when one value changes, and choose the best average.
- UK: Year 7
- France: grade 7
- Germany: grade 6
- Iran: grade 10
- Afghanistan: grade 7
- Syria: grade 6
- Palestine: grade 5
- Ukraine: grade 9
- Russia: grade 7
Guide
This studio follows KS3 Statistics: the averages (mean, mode, median) and the range as a measure of spread.
The median is the middle value once the data is in order. With an even number of values there are two middle values, and the median is halfway between them.
The mode is the value that appears most often: the tallest stack on a dot plot. The range is the largest value minus the smallest: how spread out the data is.
The mean is what each value would be if everything were shared out equally (the levelled bars you met earlier): add up all the values and divide by how many there are. On a dot plot the mean is the point where the dots would balance (▲).
Ask: "Which average tells you most about a typical value here, and why?"