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Mircea Neacsu2-Oct-23 16:42

Mircea Neacsu

2-Oct-23 16:42

Richard Andrew x64 wrote:
Why does no one give averages anymore?

Maybe because median is more meaningful than the average (in some cases)? Just a thought.

You probably know the old story about Bill Gates walking into a bar. Also average household net worth in US is something like 750000$ while median is only around 130000$.

Mircea

Rick York2-Oct-23 17:56

Rick York

2-Oct-23 17:56

Generally speaking, the median is more useful with a data set that has a large range because it minimizes the effects of large outliers. Income is one very good example of a data set where it is helpful because there is essentially no upper limit to it so the extremely large-income outliers will have an undo effect on the "average" income value.

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jmaida2-Oct-23 19:54

2-Oct-23 19:54

I don't mean to be mean, but I resent being considered middle of the road.

"A little time, a little trouble, your better day"
Badfinger

Nelek2-Oct-23 21:01

Nelek

2-Oct-23 21:01

Like with many other things, both have they usage and are the best when appropiated.
You can't put nails with scissors and you can't cut a paper with a hammer.

People need to learn the differences and use them in the right context.

M.D.V.

If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
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trønderen2-Oct-23 21:54

2-Oct-23 21:54

You use what serves your goal the best.

If your country has a super-super-rich elite, you use average if you want to show how rich your country is. You use mean if you rather want to fight for social reform in your country.

If you are a teenager, your parents will use the average age of sexual debut to tell you that your are too young to go to bed with your lover. You will argue that more than half of the kids your age have an erotic life.

Here in Norway, the standard of living is so high that very few people ever reach it.

OriginalGriff2-Oct-23 22:04

OriginalGriff

2-Oct-23 22:04

Nelek wrote:
You can't put nails with scissors and you can't cut a paper with a hammer.

You can if you try really hard.
Herself has used scalpels to open paint tins, side cutters to force screws in, and a lump hammer as a stapler ... Sigh | :sigh:

(I hide my good tools these days, and leave a decoy set out for her to abuse.)

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trønderen3-Oct-23 8:11

3-Oct-23 8:11

You can do quite some things with a hammer: Pete Seeger: If I Had a Hammer[^]

CPallini2-Oct-23 21:16

CPallini

2-Oct-23 21:16

It is just a mode. Roll eyes | :rolleyes:

"In testa che avete, Signor di Ceprano?"
-- Rigoletto

theoldfool3-Oct-23 2:30

theoldfool

3-Oct-23 2:30

"Statistics are used by rascals to convince fools" Smile | :)

>64
Some days the dragon wins. Suck it up.

Ron Anders3-Oct-23 5:00

Ron Anders

3-Oct-23 5:00

And they now site stats without a basis like a graph trending over time for example.
"We said it, believe it, don't think to wonder why.

jschell3-Oct-23 5:47

jschell

3-Oct-23 5:47

Richard Andrew x64 wrote:
Why does no one give averages anymore

Can't ignore the possibility they just do not know the difference.

Especially since they might be pulling from another source and even that source might not know the difference.

trønderen3-Oct-23 7:45

3-Oct-23 7:45

For journalists, that is highly probable.

With one minor comment: In Norwegian, 'average' (or in Norwegian: gjennomsnitt) is the common, everyday term that everyone knows and uses. I'd guess that 80% of common people would not be able to correctly explain what 'median' is. Maybe 'median' is more commonly known in English speaking countries, but my impression is that 'average' is a more common term in English as well. An uninformed journalist would be more likely to use 'average', because that is what he knows and understands.

And then: Maybe he doesn't really understand 'median', but for that very reason he may be using it to make it sound more 'advanced' and impressing. That could very well happen here in Norway!

jmaida3-Oct-23 12:36

3-Oct-23 12:36

good words

"A little time, a little trouble, your better day"
Badfinger

Jeremy Falcon3-Oct-23 7:48

Jeremy Falcon

3-Oct-23 7:48

Richard Andrew x64 wrote:
I suspect that more and more writers think that median = average.

Jeremy Falcon

trønderen3-Oct-23 8:22

3-Oct-23 8:22

And it is true for a normal distribution!

jmaida3-Oct-23 12:35

3-Oct-23 12:35

"A little time, a little trouble, your better day"
Badfinger

trønderen3-Oct-23 13:57

3-Oct-23 13:57

The set of "as simple as possible" solutions frequently has no overlap with the "as complicated as needed" solutions.

That is frequently a result of different people determining the two subsets.

jmaida3-Oct-23 16:43

3-Oct-23 16:43

I agree. One might say simplistically
"Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder."
or English or American expression "there is more than one way to skin a cat" (sorry cat lovers).

"A little time, a little trouble, your better day"
Badfinger

modified 3-Oct-23 23:19pm.

trønderen3-Oct-23 8:04

3-Oct-23 8:04

For those of you who can make sense of Swedish, and enjoy standups about statistics: Om sannolikhet (About probability)[^] will give you a good laugh (even with this worn-out-VHS-tape-quality from 1969).

There are so many puns and so much word play that any subtitling to English would be losing a whole lot of it. It looks as if noone has given it a try. Sorry for you non-Swedish speakers.

DerekT-P4-Oct-23 2:03

DerekT-P

4-Oct-23 2:03

I was always taught that "average" is a generic term that can indicate any of mean, median, or mode. The Oxford dictionary definition tends to support that though is even more vague about the meaning of "average". However the Open University[^] seems to agree.

Personally it therefore really winds me up when so-called "academic" papers refer to "average", as it doesn't supply enough information. Maybe in the US "average" has taken on the meaning of "mean", but what term do you then use to encompass mean, median and mode?

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