Key learning points

1. A statistical summary involves the mean, median, mode and range.
2. Each summary gives us different insights into a data set.
3. Conclusions may be affected by the way the data was collected.

Keywords

• Arithmetic mean - The (arithmetic) mean for a set of numerical data is the sum of the values divided by the number of values. It is a measure of central tendency representing the average of the values.

• Median - The median is the central (middle) piece of data when the data are in numerical order. It is a measure of central tendency representing the average of the values.

• Mode - The mode is the most frequent value. It is a measure of central tendency representing the average of the values.

• Range - The range is a measure of spread. It is found by finding the difference between the highest and lowest values.

• Population - The population is the entire set of people, creatures, plants or items that make up the whole group which is being studied.

Common misconception