What is the Median of a Set of Data?

The median of a set of data is the number in the exact middle. Median means middle. In the picture above, the median strip is the yellow lines in the exact center, or middle, of the road.

Let's look at WHY finding the median number of a group of numbers is important!

Let's say you want to buy a football. You want a good one, but you don't want to buy the most expensive one, because you want to buy other pieces of football equipment, too. First you need to know how much footballs cost. Click here and take a look! Write down the prices on your chart. Click here for chart.

Now look at the data you have collected on your chart. Put a star by the most expensive football. Put a star by the least expensive football.

Now, write the prices of the footballs from least expensive to most expensive on your paper.

Circle the price that is in the middle. The number you circled is the median number, or price of this group of footballs.

Let's see how this would look on a graph arranged from least expensive to most expensive footballs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The median price of this group of footballs is $24.99. It is the number exactly in the middle of the rest of the prices when they are ordered from least to greatest.

(All graphs on these pages are made using the graph maker courtesy of NCES.ed.gov)