Identify the two most commonly used measures of center for quantitative data. Explain the relative advantages and disadvantages of each.

cistG

cistG

Answered question

2020-11-09

Identify the two most commonly used measures of center for quantitative data. Explain the relative advantages and disadvantages of each.

Answer & Explanation

Raheem Donnelly

Raheem Donnelly

Skilled2020-11-10Added 75 answers

Step 1
Advantages and disadvantages of mean:
Mean is an important measure of centre when the data is quantitative. Mean of a data set is the sum of the data set divided by the size.
Step 2
It is a good measure, since it contains all the data and represent the exact centre of the data. But it will get highly influenced by the outliers in the data. So, the mean is not a good measure if the data contain outliers.
When a data is qualitative one cannot add and divide those data values. So, the mean is not an appropriate measure of centre when the data set is qualitative.
Advantages and disadvantages of median:
Median of a data set is the middle value of the data when the data is arranged in ascending order. Since median considers only the position, not the data values, it won’t be influenced by the outliers. So, the median is the appropriate measure of central tendency when outliers are present.
When the data is qualitative, it is not possible to define an order for that data set. So, the median is not an appropriate measure when data set is qualitative.

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