To find the median in math, follow these steps:
- Arrange the numbers in order from smallest to largest.
- Identify the middle number(s):
- If there is an odd number of values , the median is the middle number in the ordered list.
- If there is an even number of values , the median is the average of the two middle numbers.
- Calculate the median:
- For an odd number of values, simply pick the middle number.
- For an even number of values, add the two middle numbers together and divide by 2.
Examples
-
Odd number of values:
Data: 3, 5, 12
Ordered: 3, 5, 12
Median: 5 (middle number) -
Even number of values:
Data: 8, 15, 18, 22, 25, 30
Ordered: 8, 15, 18, 22, 25, 30
Middle numbers: 18 and 22
Median: (18 + 22) รท 2 = 20
Quick method to find the position of the median:
- Count the number of data points (n).
- Calculate (n+1)/2(n+1)/2(n+1)/2.
- If the result is a whole number, the median is the value at that position.
- If it is a decimal (e.g., 7.5), the median is the average of the values at the positions before and after the decimal (7th and 8th values).
This method ensures the median splits the data into two halves, with half the numbers below and half above the median value
