Is the mean affected by outliers?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking whether the mean value of a dataset is influenced by the presence of outliers, which are extreme values that differ significantly from other observations.
Answer
The mean is affected by outliers.
The mean is affected by outliers. Outliers can significantly skew the mean towards their extreme values.
Answer for screen readers
The mean is affected by outliers. Outliers can significantly skew the mean towards their extreme values.
More Information
The mean, unlike the median or mode, can be greatly influenced by extreme values, making it less representative of the overall dataset in the presence of outliers.
Tips
A common mistake is to assume all measures of central tendency are equally affected by outliers. Remember, the median and mode are less sensitive to outliers compared to the mean.
Sources
- How Do Outliers Affect the Mean? - Statology - statology.org
- Marketing T-Chart - Describe how outliers affect measures of central tendency - Education PA - education.pa.gov
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