Video Transcript
Find the median of the values six,
eight, 16, six, and 19.
The median is the middle value of a
set of data. In order to calculate the median of
a small set of data, we follow two simple steps. Firstly, we put the numbers in
ascending order. In this question, the order will be
six, six, eight, 16, and 19. Our second step is to find the
middle number or value. With a small data set, we can do
this by crossing off numbers from either end. We begin by crossing off six and
19, the smallest and largest numbers. We then cross off six and 16. We are left with one number in the
middle. Therefore, the median of the set of
values is eight.
An alternative way of finding the
median after putting the numbers in ascending order is to use a little rule or
formula. The median position can be
calculated using the formula 𝑛 plus one divided by two, where 𝑛 is the number of
values. In this question, we have five
numbers. Therefore, the median position can
be calculated by adding five to one and then dividing by two. This is equal to three. The median number will therefore be
the third number in the list. Counting the numbers from left to
right in ascending order, we see that the third number is eight. Therefore, the median is eight.