The science test grades are posted. All students taking the test scored over 75. Unfortunately, 4 students were absent for the test and the computer listed their scores as 0 until the test is taken. Assuming that no score repeated more times than the 0's, what measure of central tendency would most likely give the best representation of this data?
It sounds like a bimodal distribution.
To find the measure of central tendency that would give the best representation of this data, we need to consider the characteristics of the data set.
In this case, we know that all the scores are above 75, which means that the closer the measure of central tendency is to the high scores, the better it will represent the data. We also know that there are 4 students who were absent and their scores are recorded as 0 until they take the test.
Given this information, the measure of central tendency that would most likely give the best representation of the data is the median. The median is the middle value of a data set when it is arranged in ascending order.
To find the median, we need to sort the scores (including the 0's) in ascending order and then find the middle value. Since the 0's are likely to be the lowest values in the data set, the median will be closer to the high scores and therefore provide a better representation of the data.
Here is the step-by-step process to find the median:
1. Combine all the scores, including the 0's, into a single data set.
2. Sort the data set in ascending order.
3. If the number of scores is odd, the median is the middle value in the sorted list.
4. If the number of scores is even, the median is the average of the two middle values.
By following this process, you will be able to determine the measure of central tendency that would most likely give the best representation of the data.