The median is the middle value in a dataset when the numbers are arranged in order from smallest to largest. To find the median:
- Arrange the data points in ascending order.
- Calculate the middle position using the formula n+12\frac{n+1}{2}2n+1, where nnn is the number of data points.
- If nnn is odd, the median is the value at the middle position.
- If nnn is even, the median is the average of the two middle values.
For example, for the dataset 3, 5, 7 (3 numbers), the median is 5, the middle number. For the dataset 2, 4, 6, 8 (4 numbers), the median is 4+62=5\frac{4+6}{2}=524+6=5, the average of the two middle numbers. This method separates the lower half of the data from the upper half, giving a measure of central tendency that is less affected by extreme values than the mean.
