Descriptive statistics

• Ways to describe data

  Mean

  Mode

  Median

  Range
• Range


  Tells us how spread out data is
• Low range means

  People scored similar results
• High range

  Results differ and spread out
• How to work out range


  1. Arrange data in order
  2. Take away highest and lowest scores
• Strength of range


  Quick and easy to see spread of data
• Weakness of range


  Can be affected by extreme scores
• How to work out mean

  1. Add all values
  2. Divide by total number of scores
• How to work out the median


  1. Arrange values in order
  2. Middle value
• How to work out mode


  The most common number
• Strength of mean


  Includes all values
• Weakness of mean


  Can be affected by extreme scores
• Strength of median


  Not affected by extreme scores
• Weakness of median


  Does not include all values
• Strength of mode


  Not affected by extreme scores
• Weakness of mode


  Does not include all values