statistics · Year 7 · Suggested learning sequence
The median
The median is the middle value once the numbers are in order. Always sort first — the middle of the unsorted list is not the median. With an odd count there is one middle number. With an even count there are two middle numbers, and the median is halfway between them: add them and divide by two. The median ignores how extreme the end values are, so one very large number does not drag it, which is what makes it useful.
Sample questions
Find the median of 11, 14, 13, 10.
- Put them in order: 10, 11, 13, 14.
- The two middle numbers are 11 and 13; halfway between them is (11 + 13) ÷ 2 = 12.
Answer: 12
Find the median of 6, 7, 14, 13.
- Put them in order: 6, 7, 13, 14.
- The two middle numbers are 7 and 13; halfway between them is (7 + 13) ÷ 2 = 10.
Answer: 10
Find the median of 7, 13, 6, 11.
- Put them in order: 6, 7, 11, 13.
- The two middle numbers are 7 and 11; halfway between them is (7 + 11) ÷ 2 = 9.
Answer: 9