Mean, Median & Mode
"Get the Data"
This video provides an introduction to statistics for middle school students. It defines mean, median, and mode and teaches how to calculate them. The song also explains other statistics terms like statistical question, data and random sample. It makes these definitions easy to remember and gives examples that make the concepts easy to understand.
I've gotta get the data, then I've gotta go,
Get the mean, median and the mode.
Hey yo, the mean is the average, the median’s the middle,
The mode shows up the most, it’s that simple. (x2)
Welcome to the world of statistics,
So listen up close 'cause you just might miss this.
It's all about the data, so let's start collecting.
"How?" By asking a statistical question.
That's when we know there's a whole lot of answers,
So we record 'em all and don't take any chances.
“Can we have an example?” Well we could ask,
“How many siblings does each kid in my school have?”
A bad example would be to only ask your buddy,
'Cause then you'd only get one answer to study.
Now back to the data, a collection of facts,
Numbers, measurements and things like that.
We’ve gotta check out the trends and then draw conclusions.
“If there's too many people to ask, what can we do then?”
Take a random sample of a group that is small,
Then estimate how it would be if you had asked them all.
I've gotta get the data, then I've gotta go,
Get the mean, median and the mode.
Hey yo, the mean is the average, the median’s the middle,
The mode shows up the most, it’s that simple. (x2)
When you're talking statistics, I know you've been told,
It's all about the mean, median and the mode.
The mean isn't mean, it's just the average,
When all of your data gets added
Then divided. “By what?”
The total number of data points you've got,
Let me show you:
1 + 2 + 3 = 6 / 3 = 2
That’s it.
“How 'bout the median? I've only heard a little.”
That's the number you find smack dab in the middle.
Like 5, 7 and 59,
7 is the median you're trying to find.
Now last is the mode, and all you're supposed
to know is that this one shows up the most.
Like 2, 6, 2, 2, 6, 4, 3,
2 is the mode, yo, now do you see?
I've gotta get the data, then I've gotta go,
Get the mean, median and the mode.
Hey yo, the mean is the average, the median’s the middle,
The mode shows up the most, it’s that simple. (x2)
“Well that’s cool, but how do we make sense of all this data?”
Well, you can make charts or graphs, like pie charts, line graphs or bar graphs.
“Oh, like histograms! Statistics!”
In this song, learn all about the mean, median, mode, and when and how to use them!
In this song, learn all about the mean, median, mode, and when and how to use them!
Statistical questions don’t ask for a single answer. Instead, they ask for a bunch of answers, which you then use statistics to describe.
Statistical questions don’t ask for a single answer. Instead, they ask for a bunch of answers, which you then use statistics to describe.
”How many siblings does each kid in my school have?” is a statistical question because you are going to get a range of results. Not all kids in your school have the same number of siblings; some have one, some have many, and some have none at all. To answer the question, you’d have to ask a lot of kids and get a lot of responses. “How many siblings does my friend have?”, on the other hand, is not a statistical question because you’re only asking about one person and you will only get one answer.
”How many siblings does each kid in my school have?” is a statistical question because you are going to get a range of results. Not all kids in your school have the same number of siblings; some have one, some have many, and some have none at all. To answer the question, you’d have to ask a lot of kids and get a lot of responses. “How many siblings does my friend have?”, on the other hand, is not a statistical question because you’re only asking about one person and you will only get one answer.
You could find data for all kinds of things: daily temperatures in your town, heights of your classmates, ages of your teachers, people’s favorite kind of sandwich. You name it, you could collect data on it!
You could find data for all kinds of things: daily temperatures in your town, heights of your classmates, ages of your teachers, people’s favorite kind of sandwich. You name it, you could collect data on it!
Random samples are useful because they can represent the entire larger population. They’re used often in polls that want to see what the whole country, for example, thinks about something. (It would be pretty hard to ask every single person in the country what they think.) It’s important that these samples really are random--if you only asked a question in American high schools, the response wouldn’t represent the feelings of all of America, just of high school students and teachers.
Random samples are useful because they can represent the entire larger population. They’re used often in polls that want to see what the whole country, for example, thinks about something. (It would be pretty hard to ask every single person in the country what they think.) It’s important that these samples really are random--if you only asked a question in American high schools, the response wouldn’t represent the feelings of all of America, just of high school students and teachers.
The mean is the average of the data. You find it by adding all of your data together, then dividing by the number of data points you have.
Example: 4, 1, 5, 1, 6, 5, 3, 6, 5
4 + 1 + 5 + 1 + 6 + 5 + 3 + 6 + 5 = 36
36 ÷ 9 = 4
The mean is the average of the data. You find it by adding all of your data together, then dividing by the number of data points you have.
Example: 4, 1, 5, 1, 6, 5, 3, 6, 5
4 + 1 + 5 + 1 + 6 + 5 + 3 + 6 + 5 = 36
36 ÷ 9 = 4
The median is the number in the middle of the data. To find it, you have to put your data in numerical order.
Example: 4, 1, 5, 1, 6, 5, 3, 6, 5
Put it in order: 1, 1, 3, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6
The middle number is 5!
The median is the number in the middle of the data. To find it, you have to put your data in numerical order.
Example: 4, 1, 5, 1, 6, 5, 3, 6, 5
Put it in order: 1, 1, 3, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6
The middle number is 5!
The mode is the number that appears most often in the data.
Example: 4, 1, 5, 1, 6, 5, 3, 6, 5
5 shows up 3 times, more than any other number, so it’s the mode.
The mode is the number that appears most often in the data.
Example: 4, 1, 5, 1, 6, 5, 3, 6, 5
5 shows up 3 times, more than any other number, so it’s the mode.
Charts and graphs are just visual ways of showing data. They can make information easy to understand at just a glance. There are all kinds of charts and graphs--line graphs, histograms, bar graphs, pie charts, and more! Depending on what kind of data you have, you pick the kind of graph that works best.
Charts and graphs are just visual ways of showing data. They can make information easy to understand at just a glance. There are all kinds of charts and graphs--line graphs, histograms, bar graphs, pie charts, and more! Depending on what kind of data you have, you pick the kind of graph that works best.
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