Mean Median and Mode Calculation

Find the mean (average), median, and mode of data set {1, 8, 3, 2, 6}.

When analyzing a data set, three fundamental measures of central tendency are often calculated: the mean, the median, and the mode. Each of these metrics offers a different perspective on the nature of the data set. Understanding how to calculate and interpret these measures is crucial in the field of statistics. The mean, also known as the average, provides a general idea of the central value of the data. It is calculated by summing all the data values and dividing by the number of data points. However, it's important to note that the mean can be skewed by extremely high or low values, known as outliers, especially in small data sets.

The median offers a measure of center that is more robust to outliers. To find the median, one must order the data set from least to greatest and then identify the middle number. If there is an even number of data points, the median will be the average of the two middle numbers. This measure gives a better indication of the data's central tendency when the data are skewed or when there are outliers. Lastly, the mode refers to the most frequently occurring number in a data set and can be useful in identifying the most typical value. Datasets may be unimodal (one mode), bimodal (two modes), or multimodal (more than two modes).