MEASURES OF CENTRAL TENDENCY

MEASURES OF CENTRAL TENDENCY

A Measure Of Central Tendency is a single value that attempts to describe a set of data by identifying the
central position within that set of data.

As such, measures of central tendency are sometimes called Measures Of Central Location. They are also
classed as summary statistics.

The mean (often called the average) is most likely the measure of central tendency that you are most familiar
with, but there are others, such as the median and the mode.

The mean, median and mode are all valid measures of central tendency, but under different conditions, some
measures of central tendency become more. appropriate to use than others. In the following sections, we will
look at the mean, mode and median, and learn how to calculate them and under what conditions they are
most appropriate to be used.
MEASURES OF CENTRAL TENDENCY
MEASURE OF CENTRAL TENDENCY -- ARITHMETIC MEAN
ARITHMETIC MEAN
 INDIVIDUAL SERIES
MEAN BY DIRECT METHOD
The following table gives the marks obtained by B.Com. Students with roll no. 1 to 10 in an examination.
Obtain average marks of the students

ROLL NO. MARKS (X)

1 43
2 48
3 65
4 57
5 31
6 60
7 37
8 48
9 78
10 59
 INDIVIDUAL SERIES
MEAN BY SHORT CUT METHOD
Find the simple arithmetic mean of the data given below by using short cut method.
Sr. NO. Variable (X)
1 6
2 8
3 9
4 11
5 14
 INDIVIDUAL SERIES
MEAN BY STEP DEVIATION METHOD
Find the simple arithmetic mean of the data given below by using STEP DEVIATION Method.
Sr. NO. Variable (X)
1 6
2 8
3 10
4 12
5 14
 DISCRETE SERIES
MEAN BY DIRECT METHOD
Calculate the arithmetic mean of the wages given to workers in a factory.

Wages in ’00 Rs. (x) Workers (f)

4 5
6 15
8 6
10 7
15 8
16 2
 DISCRETE SERIES
MEAN BY SHORT CUT METHOD
Calculate the arithmetic mean of the wages given to workers in a factory.

Wages in ’00 Rs. (x) Workers (f)

4 5
6 15
8 6
10 7
15 8
16 2
 DISCRETE SERIES
MEAN BY STEP DEVIATION METHOD
Calculate the arithmetic mean:

Variable X f

2 1
4 3
6 5
8 10
10 7
12 4
 CONTINUOUS SERIES
MEAN BY DIRECT METHOD
Following in the frequency distribution of weights of the 100 male students at ABC university. Find
arithmetic mean of the weight of the given students.
Weight (in kg) Number of Students

60-62 5
63-65 18
66-68 42
69-71 27
72-74 8
 CONTINUOUS SERIES
MEAN BY SHORT CUT METHOD
Following in the frequency distribution of weights of the 100 male students at ABC university. Find
arithmetic mean of the weight of the given students.
Weight (in kg) Number of Students

60-62 5
63-65 18
66-68 42
69-71 27
72-74 8
 CONTINUOUS SERIES
MEAN BY STEP DEVIATION METHOD
Following in the frequency distribution of weights of the 100 male students at ABC university. Find
arithmetic mean of the weight of the given students.
Weight (in kg) Number of Students

60-62 5
63-65 18
66-68 42
69-71 27
72-74 8
 SPECIAL SERIES/CASES

• Exclusive Series
• Inclusive Series
• Open Ended Series
• Cumulative Series
• Unequal Class
• Mid Value Series
• Corrected Mean
• Combined Mean
• Weighted Mean
• Missing Frequency
 SPECIAL SERIES : Corrected Arithmetic Mean

Mean value of the weekly income of 40 families is 265. But in calculation income of one family was read as
150 instead of 115. Find the corrected mean.
 SPECIAL SERIES : Combined Arithmetic Mean

In a biology class there are 20 freshmen, 18 seniors and 12 juniors. If the freshmen averaged 68 in an
examination, the seniors averaged 75, and the juniors averaged 86, find the mean marks for the entire
class.
 SPECIAL SERIES : Combined Arithmetic Mean

The mean weight of 150 students (boys & girls) in a class is 60 kg. The mean weight of boy students is 70 kg,
and that of girl students is 55 kg. Find the number of boys and girls in that class.
 SPECIAL SERIES : Weighted Mean

The following table shows prices per 100 gram of tea of different brands. Using quantities as weight, find
the weighted arithmetic mean of the prices.
Prices per 100
w
kg (in Rs.)
2.50 10
3 8
3.50 8
4 4
4.50 4
5 2
 SPECIAL SERIES : Missing Frequency

The arithmetic mean of the following series is 18, find out the missing frequency.

Class Interval Frequency

11-13 3
13-15 6
15-17 9
17-19 13
19-21 f
21-23 5
23-25 4
 SPECIAL SERIES : Missing Frequency

The arithmetic mean of the following series is 62.8, and the sum of all frequencies is 50. Find out the
missing frequencies x & y.

Class Interval Frequency

0 – 20 5
20 – 40 x
40 – 60 10
60 – 80 y
80 – 100 7
100 - 120 8
 ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF ARITHMETIC AVERAGES

ADVANTAGES: DISADVANTAGES:

• It is very easily calculated and understood. • Since it includes all the items, its value may be
distorted by extreme values.
• It is by far the most commonly used.
• It cannot be calculated if any item of the series is
missing.
• It is based on all the observations.

• The average may not coincide with any of the

• It is a calculated value, and not based on position in actual items in a series.
the series.
• In cases where the items cannot be represented
quantitatively, but can be ranked, the arithmetic
• It is adequate to algebraic treatment.
average is not an appropriate measure of central
tendency.
 PROPERTIES OF ARITHMETIC MEAN

• The arithmetic mean of a constant is that constant.

• The sum of the deviations of observations from their mean is zero. i.e. Σ(x-x̄) = 0

x̄1 𝑛1 +x̄2𝑛2
• The combined mean for two groups is given by: X =
𝑛1 + 𝑛2

x̄1𝑛1 +x̄2𝑛2 +x̄3𝑛3 + ……….+x̄𝑘𝑛𝑘

• The combined mean is calculated as: X=
𝑛1 + 𝑛2 + 𝑛3 + …………+𝑛𝑘

• The arithmetic mean is affected by the change of origin and scale.

CHANGE OF ORIGIN AND SCALE
 CHANGE OF ORIGIN

If the mean of series X is 8 and a new series Y is formed by adding 4 in all the observations of series X. What will
be the mean of the series Y.
 CHANGE OF SCALE

If the mean of the series X is 10 and all the observations of series X are divided by 2 to form the new series Y.
What will be the mean of series Y?
 CHANGE OF ORIGIN & SCALE

• Mean of X = 5, Y = 3 + X, Mean of Y = ?

• Mean of X = 5, Y = 3x, Mean of Y = ?

• Mean of X = 2, Y = 2 + 3X, Mean of Y = ?

• Mean of X = 2, Y = 5 + 6X, Mean of Y = ?

• Mean of X = 1, 2X + 3Y – 8 = 0, Mean of Y = ?

• Mean of X = 2, 2X – Y + 8 = 0, Mean of Y = ?
 APPLICATIONS OF ARITHMETIC MEAN
Business Applications Of Mean

The arithmetic mean is considered a deal average. It is frequently used in all the aspects of business i.e.
• number of items produced per day on a large assembly line,
• number of orders received per month for a firm, etc.

further in economic analysis arithmetic mean is used extensively to calculate

• average production,
• average wage,
• average cost,
• per capital income exports,
• imports,
• consumption,
• prices, etc.
MEASURE OF CENTRAL TENDENCY -- MEDIAN
 MEASURE OF CENTRAL TENDENCY – MEDIAN
The Median is the middle score for a set of data that has been arranged in order of magnitude. The median is less

affected by outliers and skewed data.

65 55 89 56 35 14 56 55 87 45 92
 MEASURE OF CENTRAL TENDENCY – MEDIAN

Series Special Cases Graphically

Individual Cumulative Frequency Less Than Ogive
Even
Mid Value
Odd More Than Ogive
Inclusive Series
Discrete
Open Ended Series
Continuous Both
Unequal Series

Missing Frequency
 Median – Individual Series (Odd & Even Case)
Illustration: Consider the following sample of n = 7 measurements – 5, 7, 4, 5, 20, 6, 2
(i) Calculate the median of the sample.
(ii) Eliminate the last measurement (the 2), and calculate the median of the remaining n = 6
measurements.
 Median – Discrete Series
Illustration: Following table shows computations required to calculate median.

Variable (X) Frequency (f)

4.5 5
5.0 2
5.5 15
6.0 30
6.5 20
7.0 40
7.5 3
8.0 10
 Median – Continuous Series
Illustration: Find the median wage of the following distribution:

Wages (in Rs.) No. of labourers

20 – 30 3
30 – 40 5
40 – 50 20
50 – 60 10
60 - 70 5
 Median – Special Series/Case
• Exclusive Series

• Inclusive Series

• Open Ended Series

• Cumulative Series

• Unequal Class

• Mid Value Series

• Missing Frequency
 Median: Missing Frequency

The median of the following series is 168, find out the missing frequency.

Class Interval Frequency

50 – 100 35
100 – 150 60
150 – 200 f
200 – 250 40
250 - 300 20
 Median : Missing Frequency

The median of the following series is 38.5, and the sum of all frequencies is 400. Find out the missing
frequencies x & y.

Class Interval Frequency

11 – 20 42
21 – 30 38
31 – 40 x
41 – 50 54
51 – 60 y
61 – 70 36
71 – 80 32
 Median : Graphically (Ogive)

Draw an Ogive for the following frequency distribution by Less Than Ogive and also find the median from
the graph.

No. of
Marks
Students
0 – 10 7
10 – 20 10
20 – 30 23
30 – 40 51
40 – 50 6
50 – 60 3
 Median : Graphically (Ogive)

Draw an Ogive for the following frequency distribution by More Than Ogive and also find the median from
the graph.

No. of
Marks
Students
0 – 10 7
10 – 20 10
20 – 30 23
30 – 40 51
40 – 50 6
50 – 60 3
 ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF MEDIAN
ADVANTAGES: DISADVANTAGES:

• Sometimes the task is laborious in locating a median if a long

• It is very easily calculated and understood. series of data is first to be arrayed.

• It may even be located by mere inspection in • It is not capable of algebraic manipulation.

certain cases. • It may not be a representative values of a given series when

the distribution is irregular; i.e., values greatly in magnitude.

• It is unaffected by the extreme items.
• Since the median ignores the importance of extreme values.
• It is applicable to cases which are not capable of
It is not useful in those cases where large weights are to be
precise quantitative studies.
given to the extreme values.

• It is amenable to further algebraic treatment, as it • The process involved and the assumptions made in the

is used in the measurement of dispersion. calculation of median in a continuous series is often difficult

to follow.
MEASURE OF CENTRAL TENDENCY -- MODE
 MEASURE OF CENTRAL TENDENCY – MODE

The mode is the most frequent score in our data set. On a histogram it represents the highest bar in a bar chart or histogram. You can,

therefore, sometimes consider the mode as being the most popular option. An example of a mode is presented below:
 MEASURE OF CENTRAL TENDENCY – MODE

Normally, the mode is used for categorical data where we wish to know which is the most common category, as illustrated below:

We can see above that the most common form of transport, in this particular data set, is the bus. However, one of the problems with
the mode is that it is not unique, so it leaves us with problems when we have two or more values that share the highest frequency, such
as next slide:
MEASURE OF CENTRAL TENDENCY – MODE
Another problem with the mode is that it will not provide us with a
very good measure of central tendency when the most common
mark is far away from the rest of the data in the data set, as
depicted in the diagram below:
 MEASURE OF CENTRAL TENDENCY – MODE

Individual Discrete Continuous Graphically

Series Series Series

METHODS FOR FINDING MODE

Inspection Grouping
Method Method
 MODE – Individual Series
Consider the figures below which relates to the number of hours of overtime worked in a particular week by 15
workers:
Sr. No. No. of Hours
1 2
2 5
3 1
4 5
5 7
6 5
7 2
8 8
9 3
10 5
11 4
12 2
13 5
14 4
15 1
 MODE – Discrete Series
Mode by Inspection Method
Find mode of the following series:

Size of item Frequency

1 2
2 7
3 11
4 1
5 13
6 39
7 12
8 14
 MODE – Discrete Series
Mode by Grouping Method
Locate mode of the following data set:
Size of Frequency
item f
1 5
2 9
3 12
4 18
5 20
6 19
7 18
8 8
9 9
10 10
 MODE – Continuous Series
Mode by Inspection Method
The following table gives the life of 150 electric lamps of Philips India Ltd. Compute Mode.

Life Hours Frequency of Lamps

0 – 400 4
400 – 800 12
800 – 1200 40
1200 – 1600 41
1600 – 2000 27
2000 – 2400 13
2400 – 2800 9
2800 – 3200 4
 MODE – Continuous Series
Mode by Grouping Method
The following table gives the life of 150 electric lamps of Philips India Ltd. Compute Mode.
Frequency of
Life Hours
Lamps
0 – 400 4
400 – 800 12
800 – 1200 40
1200 – 1600 41
1600 – 2000 27
2000 – 2400 13
2400 – 2800 9
2800 – 3200 4
 Mode – Special Series/Case
• Exclusive Series

• Inclusive Series

• Open Ended Series

• Cumulative Series

• Unequal Class

• Mid Value Series

• Missing Frequency
 Mode: Missing Frequency

The mode of the following series is 67, find out the missing frequency.

Class Interval Frequency

40 – 50 5
50 – 60 f
60 – 70 15
70 – 80 12
80 – 90 7
 Mode : Missing Frequency

In the following series Z = 24. Find out the missing frequencies x & y.

Expenditure (in ‘000 Rs.) No. of Families

0 – 10 14
10 – 20 x
20 – 30 27
30 – 40 y
40 - 50 15
Total 100
 MODE – Continuous Series
Mode by Graphical Method
Compute Mode from the following data set.

Sales Commission (rupees in

No. of representatives
hundreds)

Under 30 2
30 & under 35 4
35 & under 40 9
40 & under 45 15
45 & under 50 19
50 & under 55 22
55 & under 60 13
60 & under 65 8
65 & under 70 5
70 & over 3
 ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF MODE
ADVANTAGES: DISADVANTAGES:

• The mode is ill-defined and indefinite. It lacks the important

• It is very easily calculated and understood.
condition of an ideal average, as it is not rigidly defined.
• It is not essential to know all the items in series to
• It is not based on all items and hence cannot be rightly called

compute mode. representative.

• It is unaffected by the extreme items. • Often, it requires grouping which is a time consuming process.

• It is also seen that a mode is obtained which is actually non-

• Its values can be ascertained graphically as well as
existent in the series itself.
empirically.
• No further algebraic treatment is possible in mode.

• Since is it the most typical value, it is most • It is not a good measure of central tendency as it lays too much

descriptive average. emphasis only on the model group and does not consider the

other varieties at all.

MEASURE OF CENTRAL TENDENCY – PARTITION VALUES (Quartiles, Deciles, Percentiles)
 MEASURE OF CENTRAL TENDENCY – PARTITION VALUES (Quartiles, Deciles, Percentiles)

The Partition Values are the measures used in statistics for dividing the total number of observations of a
distribution into certain number of equal parts. Commonly used partition values are Quartiles, Deciles and
Percentiles. It is important here to note that the data should be sorted in either ascending or descending order
before calculating the partition values.

Quartiles divide the data into four equal parts; deciles divide the data into ten equal parts and percentiles divide
the data into hundred equal parts. These partition values are used to fragment a distribution into smaller parts
which are easier to measure, analyze and understand.

In the following sections, we will learn everything we need to know about the partition values, how to calculate
them and what their importance in statistics is.

Let’s begin with quartiles…

 MEASURE OF CENTRAL TENDENCY – PARTITION VALUES (Quartiles – Individual Series)

Find the Quartiles of the following numbers:

29 12 26 19 24 36 21 33 35
 MEASURE OF CENTRAL TENDENCY – PARTITION VALUES (Quartiles –Discrete Series)
From the following table, compute all quartiles.
Variable (X) Frequency (f)
4.5 1
5.0 2
5.5 4
6.0 5
6.5 15
7.0 30
7.5 60
8.0 95
8.5 82
9.0 75
9.5 44
10.0 25
10.5 15
11 4
 MEASURE OF CENTRAL TENDENCY – PARTITION VALUES (Quartiles –Continuous Series)
From the following table, compute all quartiles.

Marks-Group (x) Frequency (f)

0–5 4

5 – 10 6

10 – 15 10

15 – 20 16

20 – 25 12

25 – 30 8

30 - 35 4
MEASURE OF CENTRAL TENDENCY – PARTITION VALUES (N – tiles: Deciles, Percentiles)
 MEASURE OF CENTRAL TENDENCY – PARTITION VALUES (N-tiles: Individual Series)

Find the 1st, 5th & 7th deciles of the following numbers:
29 12 26 19 24 36 21 33 35
 MEASURE OF CENTRAL TENDENCY – PARTITION VALUES (N-tiles: Discrete Series)
Calculate 𝐷6 and 𝑃46 from the following series:

Daily Wages (in Rs.) No. of Labourers

3 2
5 10
7 12
9 15
11 20
13 13
15 12
17 10
19 4
 MEASURE OF CENTRAL TENDENCY – PARTITION VALUES (N-tiles: Continuous Series)
Find the 7th decile & 85th percentile for the following data:

Marks Under No. of students

10 8

10 – 20 12

20 – 30 20

30 – 40 32

40 – 50 30

50 – 60 28

60 – 70 12

70 & above 4
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AMONG MEAN, MEDIAN AND MODE
 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AMONG MEAN, MEDIAN AND MODE

Example : In a moderately asymmetrical distribution the Mode and Mean are 32.1 and 35.4 respectively.
Calculate the Median.

Example : Mean = 70.2, and Mode = 70.5, find Median using empirical relationship among them.
 Choosing an Appropriate Measure of Central Tendency
If it is at all possible, you should attempt to find all three measures of central tendency. This is because you want to have as much
information about the subjects you study. However, if this is not possible, then there are situations in which the mean, median, and
mode have their specific "advantages".
The mean is ordinarily the preferred measure of central tendency. The mean is the arithmetic average of a distribution. The mean
presented along with the variance and the standard deviation is the "best" measure of central tendency for continuous data.
There are some situations in which the mean is not the "best" measure of central tendency. In certain situations, the median is the
preferred measure. These situations are as follows:

• when you know that a distribution is skewed

• when you believe that a distribution might be skewed
• when you have a small number of subjects

The purpose for reporting the median in these situations is to combat the effect of outliers. Outliers affect the distribution because
they are extreme scores. For example, in a distribution of people’s income, a person who has an income of over a million dollars
would dramatically increase the mean income whereas in reality, most of the people in the distribution do not make that kind of
money. In this case, the median is the preferred measure of central tendency.

The mode is rarely chosen as the preferred measure of central tendency. The mode is not usually used because the largest frequency
of scores might not be at the center. The only situation in which the mode may be preferred over the other two measures of central
tendency is when describing discrete categorical data. The mode is preferred in this situation because the greatest frequency of
responses is important for describing categorical data.