Behaviors of the Mean & Median

A Small Dataset

Ten values are plotted on a number line below.

Hover your mouse over each of the lines.

Questions

  1. What is the mean of the ten numbers?
    What is their median?

    2. Click and drag one of the points.

  2. Describe what happens:

  3. Explain why the median doesn't change when you drag one point:

  4. Figure out how to get the median to change and explain what you did:

A Larger Dataset

This time one hundred values.

Experiment with dragging points, pay particular attention to the behavior of the lines for the mean and median.

Questions

  1. How does the behavior of the mean when you drag one point in this large dataset compare with its behavior in the small dataset?

  2. How does the behavior of the median when you drag one point in this large dataset compare with its behavior in the small dataset?