LECTURE 3

MEASURES OF CENTRAL TENDENCY

3.1 Introduction
This lesson explains the purpose of a measure of central tendency. It elucidates how to choose an
appropriate measure of central tendency for quantitative variables.
3.2 Learning Outcomes
By the end of this lesson you should be able to;
3.2.1 Distinguish between the two main types of measures of central tendency; i.e.,
mathematical and positional averages and know when it is appropriate to use each of
them.
3.2.2 Compute the main mathematical averages.
3.2.3 Compute the main positional averages.

3.2.1 Main types of measures of central tendency.

Measures of central tendency are the most common with the statisticians because they help to
reduce the complexity of data and make it more comparable. We cannot remember the whole set
of data and analysis of such data is impossible. In order to reduce this complexity of the data and
make the data comparable, we resort to averaging. This average must be a representative of the
whole data. Use of average is based on the principle that over a long time the attribute possessed
by a large number of cases in one direction is generally offset by those in the other direction.
The average gives a single expression of the whole set of data. Average is the value of the
variable which is located in the middle of the distribution.

Definition

Any statistical measure which gives an idea about the position of the point around which other
observations cluster is called a measure of central tendency.

Requisites for an Ideal Measure of Central Tendency

According to Prof. Yule the following are the characteristics to be satisfied by an ideal measure

of central tendency:

An ideal measure of central tendency should;

(i) be rigidly defined: - for an average to be a representative of the distribution in the

series, it is essential that there exist a definite formulae so that the result does not
change from one individual to another.
 (ii) be based on all observations.
(iii) be calculated with reasonable ease and rapidity.
(iv) not be affected by sampling fluctuations.
(v) be amenable to further algebraic treatment. That is to say that the average should be
such that it can be easily used in further statistical analysis. For example we should
be able to amend our formulae for the average of one series to get another formulae
for computing the combined average.
(vi) be easy to understand.
(vii) not be affected by extreme values.

Measures of central tendency can be grouped into two main categories:

(a) Mathematical averages
and
(b) Positional averages.

3.2.2.1 Mathematical Averages

These consists of the following averages,
(i) Arithmetic mean
(ii) Geometric mean
(iii) Harmonic mean

(i) Arithmetic Mean

Let the xi denote the values x1, x2, …, xn. We will denote the arithmetic mean by x̄ . If the
data is discrete then we define the arithmetic mean as;
n
x̄=n−1 ∑ xi
i=1

For grouped data

n n
x̄=N −1 ∑ f i x i N =∑ f i
i=1 where i=1

This method is called the direct method of calculating the arithmetic mean. There is another
method of calculating the arithmetic mean called the indirect or short-cut method In this method
we make use of an assumed mean A, where A can be any value in the range of values taken by
xi. Using this method,
n
x̄= A+ N −1 ∑ f i di
i=1

where d i =x i -A .
Advantages of the Arithmetic Mean

The arithmetic mean;

1. can be easily calculated and simple to understand.

2. can be subjected to algebraic manipulation and helps in further analysis and interpretation
of statistical data
3. is based on all the observations
4. is a more accurate and more reliable basis for comparison if the number of items or
observations are many.
5. is rigidly defined and leaves no scope for deliberate prejudice or personal bias.

Disadvantages of the Arithmetic Mean

1. it is too much affected by extreme values; for example, the

arithmetic average of the observations 1,2,10,12,1000 is x̄=205 This
average is biased, since it has given more importance to bigger items and
less importance to smaller ones.
2. it cannot be used in the study of qualitative data that cannot be expressed numerically.

3. it may fall at a point where none of the actual observations are; e.g., 15.3
eggs. Hence it may not be truly representative.

Properties of the Arithmetic Mean

1. The sum of the deviations of the observations x1, x2, …, xn from their arithmetic mean
is equal to zero.

Proof:
n n n
∑ ( x i− x̄ )=∑ x i−∑ x̄
i=1 i=1 i =1
n

=n x̄−n x̄ since
∑ x i =n x̄
i=1

=0
2. If z 1=x 1 + y 1
z 2 =x2 + y 2
⋮ ⋮ ⋮
z n =x n + y n
 n n n
x̄=n−1 ∑ xi ȳ=n−1 ∑ y i z̄=n−1 ∑ z i
then z̄= x̄ + ȳ where i=1 , i =1 and i =1

Proof:
By definition
n
z̄=n−1 ∑ z i
i =1
n
=n −1
∑ ( xi+ yi )
i=1 since z i=x i + yi
n n
=n−1 ∑ x i +n−1 ∑ yi
i=1 i=i
¿ x̄ + ȳ

3. If n observations have deviations from any number A given by;

d 1 =x 1 -A
d 2 =x 2 -A
⋮ ⋮ ⋮
d n =x n -A
then
n
x̄= A+ n-1 ∑ d i
i=1
where A is known as the assumed mean.

Proof:

By definition
n
x̄=n− ∑ x i
i=1
n
=n−1 ∑ ( di + A )
i=1 since x i=d i + A
n n
=n−1 ∑ d i +n−1 ∑ A
i=1 i=1
n
=n −1
∑ di+ A
i=1

4. If x̄ 1 and x̄ 2 are the means of two samples of sizes n1and n2 then the combined mean

n1 x̄ 1 +n 2 x̄2
x̄=
n1 +n 2

Proof:
Now, by definition
n1 n2

1 ∑ x 1i
x̄ 1=n−1 2 ∑ x 2i
x̄ 2 =n−1
i =1 and i =1
The combined sample is thus given by
n 1+n 2
x̄=( n1 +n 2 ) −1
∑ xi
i=1

{ }
n1 n1+n2

=( n1 + n2 )−1 ∑ xi+ ∑ xi
i =1 i=n1 +1

n1 x̄ 1 + n2 x̄ 2
=
n1 + n2

Example 3.1:

Given the following data calculate the arithmetic mean.

x 1 2 3 4 5
Frequency 3 5 9 6 2

Solution:

x frequency (f) fx
1 3 3
2 5 10
3 9 27
4 6 24
5 2 10
∑ f =25 ∑ f x=74
(a) Direct method:

For grouped data the arithmetic mean is given by ;

n n
x̄=N −1 ∑ f i x i N =∑ f i
i=1 where i=1

74
=
25 = 2.96

(b) Indirect method:

Let the assumed mean A =3

x frequency (f) d = x-3 fd
1 3 -2 -6
2 5 -1 -5
3 9 0 0
4 6 1 6
5 2 2 4

∑ f =25 ∑ fd=−1
 The arithmetic mean is given by;
n
x̄= A+ N −1 ∑ f i di
i=1
1
=3−
25 = 2.96

Example 3.2:
Compute the arithmetic mean from the following grouped data:

Weight frequency
6.5 – 7.5 5
7.5 – 8.5 12
8.5 – 9.5 25
9.5 – 10.5 48
10.5 – 11.5 32
11.5 – 12.5 6
12.5 – 13.5 1

Solution:
Let the assumed mean A=10

Weight Frequency (f) midpoint (x) d=x-10 fd

6.5 – 7.5 5 7 -3 -15
7.5 – 8.5 12 8 -2 -24
8.5 – 9.5 25 9 -1 -25
9.5 – 10.5 48 10 0 0
10.5 – 11.5 32 11 1 32
11.5 – 12.5 6 12 2 12
12.5 – 13.5 1 13 3 3
∑ f =129 ∑ fd=−17

The arithmetic mean

x̄= A+ N −1 ∑ fd
(−17 )
=10+
129
=9. 867

(ii) Geometric Mean

The geometric mean is the nth root of the products of all the observations comprising a group of
items of a series. It is very much used in the calculations of index numbers. It is calculated by
multiplying the values of the items and then finding out the root of the product corresponding to
the number of item. If one of the items is zero then the geometric mean of the items cannot be
calculated.

Definition
If x1, x2, …, xn are n observations then the geometric mean (G.M.) is given by;

G . M .=√n x 1⋅x 2⋅⋯⋅x n

We can introduce logarithms in this definition so that we have
1
log (G . M )= log( x 1⋅x 2⋅⋯⋅x n )
n
1
= ∑ log( x i )
n

Thus
1
G . M .=Antilog ∑ log( x i )
n ( )
In the case of grouped data; if x1, x2, …, xn are the observations with f1, f2, …, fn as the
corresponding frequencies then

√ ⏟
G. M = x 1 ⋯ x 1⋅x ⋯ x ¿⋯⋅x ⋯ x
N
⏟ 2 2 n n

⏟f times
1
f n times

f 2 times

√
N f
= x 11⋅x 22 ¿⋯⋅x nn
f f

Taking logarithms we get

1
log (G . M . )=
N
f
( f f
log x1 1⋅x 22 ¿⋯⋅x nn )
1
=
N
∑ f i log( x i )
Thus
G . M .=Antilog ( N1 ∑ f log( x ))
i i

Example 3.3:
Find the geometric mean of the numbers 4,6,8,9.

Solution:
G . M .=√n x 1⋅x 2⋅⋯⋅x n
Here n=4

Therefore by definition
= 4√ 4×6×8×9
 = 4√1728
Using logarithms; G . M .=0 . 25×log(1728)

Example 3.4:

Find the geometric mean of the following frequency distribution:

Marks Number of Students

0 – 10 5
10 – 20 9
20 – 30 10
30 – 40 16
40 – 50 4

Solution:

Marks Midpoint(x) frequency log(x) flog(x)

0 – 10 5 5 0.699 3.495
10 – 20 15 9 1.176 10.585
20 – 30 25 10 1.398 13.979
30 – 40 35 16 1.544 24.706
40 – 50 45 4 1.653 6.613

∑ f =44 ∑ flogx=59 . 377

Thus
G . M .=Antilog ( N1 ∑ f log( x ))
i i

= Antilog (1.350)
=22.39

Advantages of the Geometric Mean

The geometric mean is;
1) based on all observations.
2) amenable to further algebraic manipulations.
3) suitable when less weight is given to large items to and more weight to small ones. Such
situations do occur in the economy.
4) rigidly defined.
5) not affected by extreme values.

Limitations
The geometric mean is;
1) not determinable if any of the items is zero or negative.
2) difficult to calculate and understand.
 3) may not be identical with any of the items under review and therefore may not be
representative.

(iii) Harmonic Mean

Harmonic mean is the reciprocals of the values of the items. It is mainly used where it is desired

to give the greatest weight to the smallest items. It is applied rarely, e.g. in averaging rates, time

etc.

If x1, x2, …, xn are n observations then we define the harmonic mean as:
n
H .M=
1 1 1
+ +⋯+
x1 x 2 xn
1
= n
1 1
∑
n i=1 x i

For grouped data if x1, x2, …, xn are the observations with f1, f2, …, fn as the corresponding
frequencies then

1
H . M .= n f
1
∑ i
N i=1 x i where N=∑ f i

Example 3.5:
An airplane flies around a square measuring 100 miles each side. It covers at a speed of 100
miles per hour the first side, 200 mph the second side, 300 mph the third side and at 400 mph the
fourth side. What is the average speed?

Solution

We make use of the harmonic mean to calculate the average speed.

n
H .M=
1 1 1
+ +⋯+
x1 x 2 xn
 4
=
1 1 1 1
+ + +
100 200 300 400
=192 mph

Example 3.6:
Find the harmonic mean for the following distribution:

Wages Number of Workers

40 – 50 12
50 – 60 10
60 – 70 15
70 – 80 17
80 – 90 8
90 –100 3

Solution:

Wages Midpoint number of reciprocal f/x

(x) workers(f) (1/x)
40 –50 45 12 0.0222 0.2664
50 – 60 55 10 0.0182 0.1820
60 – 70 65 15 0.0154 0.2310
70 – 80 75 17 0.0133 0.2261
80 – 90 85 8 0.0118 0.0944
90 – 100 95 3 0.0105 0.0315
∑ f =65 ∑ f / x=1 . 0314
1
H . M .= n f
1
∑ i
N i=1 x i where N=∑ f i
1
=
1. 0314
=63 . 021
Points to Note:
1. In the computation of the A.M., H.M. and G.M the results are not affected whether the
class intervals are continuous or not.
2. The results are also not affected whether the class intervals are equal or not.
3. If in the computation of the Arithmetic Mean we reduce the bulkiness of the data by
x− A
d=
dividing the deviations by common divisor h; i.e., h then,
 A . M .= A+ {∑ }
N
fd
h
4. Arithmetic mean is the best average so if required to compute an average, A.M. is the
best.

3.2.2.1 E-Tivity: Computation of the main mathematical averages i.e Arithmetic,Geometric

and Harmonic mean.
Numbering and pacing and 3.2.2.1
sequencing
Title Computation of the main mathematical averages, i.e
arithmetic, geometric and harmonic means.

Purpose To enable you to compute the main mathematical averages.

Brief summary of overall task Watch the video on how to compute the Arithmetic,
geometric and harmonic means.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7V_rZMVnpY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKWVAIP17pw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vglvKEroFhg

Spark

Main mathematical averages;

n n
x̄=N −1 ∑ f i x i N =∑ f i
A.M i=1 where i=1 direct method or
indirect method.(short-cut method) In this method we
make use of an assumed mean A, where A can be any value
in the range of values taken by xi. Using this method
n
x̄= A+ N −1 ∑ f i di
i=1

d =x i -A .
where i

G . M .=Antilog ( N1 ∑ f log( x ))
i i

n H . M .=
1
H .M= n f
1 1 1 1
+ +⋯+
x1 x 2 x n or ∑ i
N i=1 x i

Individual contribution The following were the number of deaths in a certain

 hospital due to the deadly Severe Accute Respiratory
Syndrome (SARS) Covid-19 in Wuhan province in
China as at the midnight of Jan 3, 2020.
Age 0- 10- 20 30- 40- 50- 60- 70-
9 19 - 39 49 59 69 79
29
No. of
death 2 12 55 95 71 42 16 7
s
Estimate the mean age of death using
i) Arithmetic mean
ii) Geometric mean
iii) Harmonic mean.
Interaction begins  Post your answers on the discussion forum 3.2.2.1

 Read what your colleagues have posted.

 In a sentence or two, comment on what two of your

colleagues have posted keeping netiquette in mind

E-Moderator interactions  Focussing group discussion

 Encouraging lurkers (quiet ones) to contribute

 Providing feedback/ teaching point

 Closing the discussion

Schedule and time The activity takes two hour.

Next Positional averages.

3.2.2.2 Positional Averages

As stated earlier, there are three main types of positional averages namely;
(i) Quartiles
(ii) Median
(iii) Mode
(j) Quartiles
Quartiles are the values of the variate, which divided the total frequency into four equal parts.
The kth quartile denoted by Qk is given by;

Q k =L1 +
(
Nk
4
−C h )
f
Where
Li = Lower limit of the ith quartile class
N = Total cumulated frequency
F = Frequency of the quartile class
C = Cumulative frequency of the class preceding the quartile class

k =1,2,3; that is, first, second and third quartile.

(ii) Median

This is the second quartile, i.e. when k=2. It may be defined as the middle most or central
value of the variable when the values are arranged in increasing order of magnitude. In the case
of grouped data, the median may be defined as that value of the variable that divides the area of
the curve into two equal parts.

Advantages of Quartiles
The quartiles

1. are very easy to calculate.

2. are not affected by extreme values.
3. can be used to treat qualitative data.
4. can be determined graphically using ogives.

Limitations
The quartiles
1. are not amenable to further algebraic manipulation
2. requires that data must arranged in ascending order or descending order of magnitude and
involves additional work.
3. are erratic if the number of items is small.

Example 3.7:
Using the data below compute the quartiles and the median.

Variable 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19
frequency 1 2 7 9 11 8 5 4
Solution:
We first calculate the cumulative frequency in order to determine the value of the quartiles.

Variable (x) frequency (f) cumulative frequency (c.f.)

5 1 1

7 2 3

9 7 10

11 9 19

13 11 30

15 8 38

17 5 43

19 4 47

th
First quartile Q1 =size of ( N /4 ) item

47
= 4

= 11.75th item.

This item is included in the cumulated frequency (c.f. =19) where x=11. Hence the first quartile
Q1 =11.

th
The second quartile (median) Q2 = size of ( N /2) item
47
= 2
= 23.5th item

This item is included in the cumulated frequency (c.f. =30) where x =13. Hence the second
quartile Q2 =13.

th
The third quartile Q3 = size of (3N/4 )
47×3
= 4
= 35.25th item.
 This item is included in the cumulated frequency (c.f. =38) where x =15. Hence the third
quartile Q3 =15.

Example 3.8:
Find the median and the quartile for the marks obtained by 76 students given below.

Marks 0 –10 10 –20 20 –30 30 –40 40 –50

Frequency 4 8 12 32 20
c.f 4 12 24 56 76

Solution:
th
The median Q2 =size of ( N /2) item.
76
=
2
= 38th item.

This item lies in class interval 30-40 whose cumulated frequency (c.f.=56).
Applying the interpolation formulae

M =L1 +
N
2(−C h )
f
Here L1 =30, f=32 N /2=38 and C=24. Substituting these values in the formula above we get;
( 38−24 ) 10
M =30+
32
=34.37 marks
th
The first quartile Q1 = size of ( N /4 ) item
76
= 4

=19th item.
This item lies in the class interval 20-30 whose cumulated frequency (c.f. = 24).
Applying the interpolation formulae

Q 1 =L1 +
N
4 (
−C h )
f
Here h=10, L1 =20, f =12 N /2=19 and C=12
Substituting these values in the formula above we get:
(19−12 ) 10
Q 1 =20 +
12
=25.83 marks
 ( )
th
3N
The third quartile Q3 = size of 4 item
76×3
= 4
= 57th item
The item lies in class interval 40-50 whose cumulated frequency (c.f.=56).
Applying the interpolation formulae

Q3 =L1 +
(
3N
4
−C h )
f

Here h= 10, L1 =40, f= 20, N /2=57 and C=56. Substituting these values in the
formula above we get;

(57−56 )10
Q3 =40 +
20
= 40.5 marks

(iii) Mode

It is usually found that in a given data, a certain item will occur more frequently than any other
and this predominant item can easily be located. The value of the item, which is most common,
is known as the mode. The mode is the value that occurs most frequently. It automatically
follows that if the items are selected at random, the most likely item to occur will be the modal
value. In the case of discrete grouped frequency distribution, the mode is the value of the
variable corresponding to the maximum frequency. In the case of continuous data the mode is
given by the following interpolation formulae;

( f m −f 1 ) h
Mode=L1 +
2f m−f 1−f 2

Where L1 =Lower limit of the modal class.

f m= Frequency of the modal class.
f1 =Frequency of the class preceding the modal class.
f 2=Frequency of the class succeeding the modal class.
Advantages
The mode,
(i) can easily be calculated.
(ii) is not affected by extreme values.
(iii) can be determined graphically.
(iv) can be used for qualitative data analysis.
Disadvantages
The mode;
(i) is not amenable to further algebraic manipulation.
(ii) is indeterminate when the distribution is irregular and there is no definite point of
maximum density.
(iii) is not significant when the frequency distribution does not include large number of
items
In the case of discrete and continuous grouped data we locate the mode by the method of
grouping.
Example 3.9:
If seven men are receiving daily wages of Shs. 5,6,7,7,8,9,10 find the modal wage.
Solution:
The modal wage is 7. This is because it has maximum frequency of occurrence.
Method of Grouping
The method of grouping is applied when;
(i) The maximum frequency is repeated
(ii) The distribution is irregular, deviates from normality.
Example 3.10:
Find the mode of the following distribution.
Variable 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Frequency 5 4 6 8 9 7 5 9 4

Solution:
If we locate the mode by inspection, we find that the variables 7 and 10 have a maximum
frequency, hence we cannot determine whether the mode is 7 or 10. This is a case of bimodal
distribution. We can determine the mode of this distribution using the method of grouping.
Variable frequency I II III IV V
3 5
9
4 4 15
10
5 6 18
14
6 8 23
17
7 9 24
16
8 7 21
12
9 5 21
14
10 9 18
13
11 4

Procedure:
The frequencies in column I are added in pairs. In column II we leave the first item and added
the rest in pairs. In column III the items are added in threes and in column IV the first item is left
out and the rest added in threes. In column V the first two items are left out and the rest added in
threes. The maximum frequency in each column is picked out in the table below:

Column Number Maximum Frequency Combination of Values

I 16 7,8 II
17 6,7
III 24 6,7,8
IV 21 7,8,9 V
23 5,6,7
We then construct a frequency table by counting the number of occurrences of each of the items
in the combinations above:

Frequency Table
Variable 5 6 7 8 9
Frequenc 1 3 5 3 1
y

Since item 7 has the maximum frequency, then 7 is the mode. In the case of grouped data we
locate the modal class using the method of grouping and then apply the interpolation formulae.

Example 3.11:
Find the mode from the following data

Marks 0-10 10-20 20-30 30-40 40-50 50-60 60-70

Frequency 5 13 21 37 31 24 3

Solution:
Since this a unimodal distribution we see that the modal class is 30 - 40. We can now use the
interpolation formulae;

( f m −f 1 ) h
Mode=L1 +
2f m−f 1−f 2
(37−21 )10
=30+
74−21−31
= 37.27 marks

3.2.2.2 E-Tivity: Computation of the main positional averages i.e median,mode and the
quartiles.
Numberin 3.2.2.2
g and
pacing
and
sequencin
g
Title Computation of the main positional averages, i.e

Median, mode and quartiles..

Purpose To enable you to compute the main positional averages.

Brief Watch the video on how to compute the quartiles, median and mode.
summary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zV3H-Dh0Sk
of overall
task https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heb3JvwSQZ4

Spark

Main positional averages;

The kth quartile denoted by Qk is given by;

Q k =L1 +
( Nk
4 )
−C h

f
Median is when k=2.
 ( f m −f 1 ) h
Mode=L1 +
2f m−f 1−f 2

Individual 1. Below is the frequency distribution which resulted when the weight (in kg) of
contributi
50
on
calves in a dairy farm were measured.
Weight 17 172. 17 177. 18 182. 18 187. 19 192. 19
(Kg) 0 5 5 5 0 5 5 5 0 5 5
Frequen 1 2 4 6 8 9 7 6 3 2 2
cy

Find:
a) the mode
b) the median
c) the interquartile range

Interactio  Post your answers on the discussion forum 3.2.2.2

n begins
 Read what your colleagues have posted.

 In a sentence or two, comment on what two of your colleagues have posted

keeping

netiquette in mind
 Focussing group discussion
E-
moderato  Encouraging lurkers (quiet ones) to contribute
r’s
interventi  Providing feedback/ teaching points
on.
 Closing the discussion

Schedule The activity takes two hours.

and Time.

Next Measures of dispersion.

 3.3 Assessment
1) Given the following data:

Age group 80-89 70-79 60-69 50-59 40-49 30-39 20-29 10-19
Frequency 2 2 6 20 56 40 42 32

Calculate the
(i) Arithmetic mean
(ii) Harmonic mean
(iii) Geometric mean

2) Find the average mark of the student from the following frequency table:

Marks Number of Students

Below 10 15
,, 20 35
,, 30 60
,, 40 84
,, 50 96
,, 60 127
,, 70 198
,, 80 250

3) Find the average wage of a worker from the frequency table:

Wage (K) Number of Workers

Above 0 685
,, 10 500
,, 20 423
,, 30 389
,, 40 309
,, 50 273
4) Calculate the mode of the following data.
Class Interval 0-5 5-10 10-15 15-20 20-25 25-30
Frequency 40 30 18 12 10 6

5) Find the mode for the following data.

Marks 5-10 10- 15- 20- 25- 30- 35- 40- 45-
15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
 Frequency 7 9 7 11 13 3 4 13 1

6) When checking the number of errors per page by a copy typist the frequency distribution was
as summarised below.
Number of errors per 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
page
Frequency 4 15 27 20 18 10 4 1 1
Find:
a) the mode
b) the median
c) the upper quartile
7) The grouped frequency shown below gives the results of an IQ test performed on a group of
50 students.
IQ test marks 90 - 95 - 100 - 105 - 110 - 115 - 120 - 125 -
94 99 104 109 114 119 24 129
Frequency 2 7 9 14 9 4 3 2

Estimate the median and the lower quartile of these data.

8) A cellular phone dealer sells three different models made by the same manufacturer. He sells
265 of Nokia 5210 at a mean price of Shs. 10 860,
352 of Nokia 8250 at a mean price of Shs. 12 580,
150 of Nokia 8310 at a mean price of Shs. 18 250.
Find the mean price of all the three phones sold during this period.
9) A group of 100 kids participated in a certain company promotion’s Quiz. The quiz consisted
of several questions cutting across various issues. The following frequency distribution
shows the number of questions answered correctly by the kids.
Number of correct answers 1 2 3 4 5 6
Frequency 11 18 26 23 15 7
Calculate the mean number of correct answers.
10) The yields of grains (x tonnes) from 500 small plots are grouped in classes with a common
class interval (0.2 tonne) in the table below, the value of x given being the mid-values of the
classes.
X f X f x F x f x F
 2.8 4 3.4 47 4.0 88 4.6 35 5.2 4
3.0 15 3.6 63 4.2 69 4.8 10 - -
3.2 20 3.8 78 4.4 59 5.0 8 - -
Show that
a) the mean of the distribution is 3.95 tonnes,
b) the median of the distribution is 3.95 tonnes
c) the lower and the upper quartiles are 3.63 and4.28 tonnes
respectively.
11) Calculate the median and the quartile for the following data:

Weight 60-69 70-79 80 -89 90-99 100-109 110-119 120-129 130-139 140-149
Boys 1 9 24 28 15 11 7 3 1

3.4References.

1. Gupta, C. B and Gupta, V. (2009). Introduction to Statistical Methods:

Vikas publishing house pvt limited. ISBN: 8125916547,
9788125916543.

(2) Das, J. (2009). Statistical Methods Combined: Tata McGraw hill

education. ISBN: 0070083274, 978003271.
(3) Spiegel, M. and Stephens, L.(2007). Schaum’s Outline of Statistics:
McGraw Hill Professional. ISBN: 0071594469, 9780071594462.
(4) Agarwal, B. (2009). Basic Statistics: New Age International. ISBN:
8122424724, 9788122424720., H. M. (2013). Introduction to
Statistics: SAGE Publications. ISBN: 1452271968, 9781452271965