Rossman/Chance Applet Collection


Specify data format:
Choose statistics:
Select display type:
  • Press the Random sample button until you find a graph that you wish to guess the mean and median of. Can you find a graph that appears "skewed-right" or "skewed-left"? Can you find one with a more even distribution?
  • Check the "Guess" boxes next to "Mean" and "Median."
  • Move the lines to where you think mean and median belong on the distribution.( Note: The mean is red and the median is blue.) Think about whether the mean will be to the left or the right of the median.
  • Now check the "Actual" boxes next to "Mean" and "Median."
  • How close was your guess?
  • Uncheck "Actual" next to "Mean" and "Median" and try again! Try different looking graphs. How close can you get to the actual value? Do you notice a relationship between the shape of the graph and where the mean and median are located?
  • Click on the largest observation and move it to the right. HOw do the mean and median change?