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Grade 6 · lesson 2 of 4

Compare Mean and Median as Centers

Compute total divided by observation count for the mean.

About 25 minutes, plus any extended practice

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Supplied materials

  • Paper and a pencil; drawing and spoken explanations are welcome. An adult may read directions and options aloud.
  • Supplied worked-case record: Times 2,3,4,5,21 minutes have mean 35÷5=7 and median four.
  • All quantities and shape descriptions are supplied in the worked example and questions; no purchase or personal information is needed.

Learn the idea

The mean redistributes the total equally over all observations. The median locates the ordered middle and may differ from the mean when an extreme value pulls the total. Order values before finding the median; for an even count, average the middle pair. Neither center alone communicates the full distribution.

Compute total divided by observation count for the mean. Sort the record and locate the middle or middle pair for the median. Compare how one supplied extreme value affects both and state the small record’s context rather than making a general population claim.

Use all observations, including repeats, in the mean total. The median requires sorted data; the mean need not be a value present in the record. Write the sorted data and label the middle position separately from the total/count calculation.

  1. Write the sorted data and label the middle position separately from the total/count calculation.
  2. Work through the supplied example and label what each number or attribute represents.
  3. Compute total divided by observation count for the mean.
  4. Answer the check, then try the three changed-input practice questions and explain one correction.
Worked example

See the method in action

Times 2,3,4,5,21 minutes have mean 35÷5=7 and median four. The high twenty-one increases the mean far above the ordered middle. Both calculations are correct but summarize different features. Reporting the individual high value helps a reader understand why the centers differ. Use all observations, including repeats, in the mean total. The median requires sorted data; the mean need not be a value present in the record. Write the sorted data and label the middle position separately from the total/count calculation.

Your turn

Check your reasoning

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Helpful tips
  • Use all observations, including repeats, in the mean total.
  • The median requires sorted data; the mean need not be a value present in the record.
Find the mean of the minute record [2, 4, 6, 8].

Feedback appears here after you check. This is practice, not a graded school assessment.

See the answer and explanation

5

Add all values and divide by count for mean; sort and find the middle for median. The result is 5.

Take it further

For 1,2,3,4,20, mean is six and median three. Explain the influence of twenty.

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More practice: try new cases

Choose an answer for each problem. Explain your method on paper, then use the feedback to decide what to revisit.

More practice: try new cases
1. Find the median of the minute record [3, 5, 5, 7].
Need a hint?
  • Use all observations, including repeats, in the mean total.
  • The median requires sorted data; the mean need not be a value present in the record.
2. Find the mean of the minute record [1, 2, 3, 14].
Need a hint?
  • Use all observations, including repeats, in the mean total.
  • The median requires sorted data; the mean need not be a value present in the record.
3. Find the median of the minute record [4, 4, 6, 10].
Need a hint?
  • Use all observations, including repeats, in the mean total.
  • The median requires sorted data; the mean need not be a value present in the record.

Your choices are temporary. Feedback appears after you check all the answers.

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Check the subject sources

These LifeStarter passages, scenarios and exercises are authored for this Academy with AI assistance and review. External resources keep their publishers’ terms. A grade label suggests a starting level; it does not establish alignment with your school’s complete requirements.