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Grade 6 · Maths · Lessons
The middle of the data
⚖️mean🎯median📚books🧮fair share
The middle of the data.
The big ideaThe median is the middle number. The mean is the fair share.

How it works

The median is the middle number. The mean is the fair share.

To find the mean, add all the values and divide by how many there are.

To find the median, order the values and take the middle one, or halfway between the two middle ones.

Mean• add all, divide by how many• 7, 6, 3, 7, 7: 30 ÷ 5 = 6Median• order, take the middle• 3, 6, 7, 7, 7: 7
Two middles.

Example 1: The mean

  1. Books read: 7, 6, 3, 7, 7.
  2. Add: 7 + 6 + 3 + 7 + 7 = 30, and 30 ÷ 5 = 6.
  3. The mean is 6 books.

Example 2: The median, even count

  1. Stickers: 5, 5, 6, 7, 7, 7.
  2. The middle two are 6 and 7, so halfway is 6.5.
  3. The median is 6.5.

Example 3: A longer list

  1. Order 12 values and find the 6th and 7th.
  2. Take the number halfway between them.
  3. That is the median.

Words to know

mean
The fair share: add them all, divide by how many.
median
The middle value.

Watch out

Try it

  1. What is the mean of 2, 4, 6?
  2. What is the median of 2, 4, 6?
  3. What is the mean of 3, 3, 9?
  4. What is the median of 1, 3, 5, 7?
Answers: 1. 4 · 2. 4 · 3. 5 · 4. 4
For grown-upsShare a bag of sweets equally among the family and explain that as a mean.
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