If a data set has many outliers, which measure of central tendency would be the BEST to use?
A) mean
B) median
C) mode
D) range
Is B.(Median )
MEDIAN
When dealing with a data set that has many outliers, the best measure of central tendency to use would be the median (option B). The median is the middle value of the data set when it is arranged in ascending or descending order. It is not affected by extreme values or outliers, unlike the mean (option A).
To find the median, you can follow these steps:
1. Arrange the data set in either ascending or descending order.
2. If the data set has an odd number of values, the median is the middle value.
3. If the data set has an even number of values, the median is the average of the two middle values.
The median is considered a robust measure of central tendency because it is less affected by extreme values or outliers. It provides a more representative value of the "typical" value in the data set, even when there are outliers present.
The mode (option C) refers to the value that appears most frequently in the data set. It may not be appropriate to use the mode when dealing with outliers because outliers have a minimal impact on its calculation.
The range (option D) is the difference between the maximum and minimum values in the data set. While it provides information about the spread of the data, it does not account for the presence of outliers in determining the central tendency.