To find the median of a data set, follow these steps:
- Order the data from smallest to largest.
- Identify the middle number(s):
- If the number of data points is odd , the median is the middle value.
- If the number of data points is even , the median is the average of the two middle values.
Example for Odd Number of Observations
Data: 3, 5, 12
Ordered: 3, 5, 12
Median: 5 (the middle number)
Example for Even Number of Observations
Data: 1, 1, 2, 6, 6, 9
Ordered: 1, 1, 2, 6, 6, 9
Middle two numbers: 2 and 6
Median: (2 + 6) / 2 = 4
This method ensures the median represents the central value that separates the higher half from the lower half of the data
. If using software like Excel, the MEDIAN function can automatically calculate this for you by selecting the range of numbers
