The Mean Chases Totals; the Median Holds Position

You'll learnhow the mean chases the total while the median holds its position.

The mean divides the total and the median finds the position, so extremes hammer the mean and barely graze the median. Points leak in confusing how each responds to an outlier, finding the median without sorting, and reporting the wrong measure.

8 STEPS · 6 QUICK CHECKS · mean = total, median = position · v2

center · spread

Before you start

What you're looking at

A number line of gray data dots with a violet mean mark and a green median mark, beside two summary cards.

The question

Why does the mean sit to the right of the median on the very same data?

Watch for

Watch the largest value pull the mean rightward while the median barely moves at all.

What the symbols mean

Gray dots are the data, the violet mark is the mean, the green mark is the median.

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