A survey was taken of students in math classes to find out how many hours per day students spend on social media. The survey results for the first-, second-, and third-period classes are as follows:
First period: 2, 4, 3, 1, 0, 2, 1, 3, 1, 4, 9, 2, 4, 3, 0
Second period: 3, 2, 3, 1, 3, 4, 2, 4, 3, 1, 0, 2, 3, 1, 2
Third period: 4, 5, 3, 4, 2, 3, 4, 1, 8, 2, 3, 1, 0, 2, 1, 3
Which is the best measure of center for SECOND period and why?
Mean, because there are no outliers that affect the center **
Median, because there is 1 outlier that affects the center
Interquartile range, because there is 1 outlier that affects the center
The best measure of center for the second period is the mean because there are no outliers that significantly affect the center. To calculate the mean, you add up all the values and then divide by the total number of values.
To find the mean for the second period, add up all the numbers:
3 + 2 + 3 + 1 + 3 + 4 + 2 + 4 + 3 + 1 + 0 + 2 + 3 + 1 + 2
= 39
Then, divide the sum by the total number of values, which is 15 in this case:
Mean = 39 / 15
Mean ≈ 2.6
Therefore, the mean number of hours per day that students in the second period spend on social media is approximately 2.6.