Math
Mixing Up Mean and Median
Students call the middle number the mean or find the average when the problem asks for the median.
Quick check
Why students make it
Both mean and median describe the center of a data set, so they can feel interchangeable. The word average is often used loosely, which makes students reach for adding and dividing every time.
The rule done right
The mean is the sum of the values divided by the number of values. The median is the middle value after the data are ordered, or the mean of the two middle values if there are an even number of values.
Related resources
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Math, Mean, Median, Mode, and Range Infographic - Mean Median Mode and Range from Frequency Tables Cheat Sheet
- Reading and Interpreting Box Plots Cheat Sheet
- Mean Median Mode and Range Worksheet
- Math, Box Plots and Data Analysis Worksheet
- Statistics and Descriptive Data Worksheet
- Stem-and-Leaf Plots and Box Plots Worksheet
- Two-Variable Data, Tables, Graphs, and Patterns Worksheet
- Data Graph Creator for Kids Tool