Median

Definition

The middle value of ordered data, or the mean of the two middle values when there is an even number of values.

Used by AQA, Edexcel and OCR

Specification S4 · Paper 1, Paper 2, Paper 3

The middle value of a data set after the values have been placed in order; for an even number of values, it is the mean of the two middle values.
The mean, median and mode do this in different ways. The range describes spread instead: it indicates how far the data extends from its lowest to its highest value.
Revise: Measures of Central Tendency and Spread
The middle value of ordered data, dividing it into a lower half and an upper half.
Revise: Quartiles, Box Plots and Comparing Distributions

1
Put raw data in numerical order before finding the median or range.
2
For an even number of values, the median is the mean of the two middle values—not either middle value by itself.
3
When an outlier is present, consider whether the median represents the centre more fairly than the mean. Do not remove an outlier unless there is a justified reason.

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Specification S4 · Paper 1, Paper 2, Paper 3

The middle value when the data values have been arranged in order; for an even number of values, it is the mean of the two middle values.
The mean, median and mode are different measures of central tendency. They do not necessarily give the same answer because each describes “typical” in a different way.
Revise: Measures of Central Tendency

Specification 12.03a · Paper 1 (Foundation), Paper 2 (Foundation), Paper 3 (Foundation), Paper 4 (Higher), Paper 5 (Higher), Paper 6 (Higher)

The middle value of an ordered data set, or the mean of the two middle values when there is an even number of values.
The mean, median and mode describe a typical or central value. The range describes how spread out the data is.
Revise: Averages and Range for Ungrouped and Grouped Data
Revise: Quartiles, Box Plots and Comparing Populations