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When your data is symmetric and narrowly spread about it.

Each measure of central tendency has strengths and weaknesses. The mean takes every piece of numeric data and treats them all as equally weighted. Outliers will have equal weight with any other measure. In the long run, when you want to estimate a value that is least different from all values, use the mean. If you want your estimate to be closest to absolutely correct or to be absolutely correct most often, use the mode, and if you want your estimate to be as likely to be above the true value as below, use the median.

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Q: When is using the mean as a measure of central tendency useful?
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Related questions

What are the criteria for choosing measure of central tendency and measure of variation?

Central tendency is measured by using the mean, median and mode of a set of numbers. Variation is measured by using the range, variance and standard deviation of a set of numbers.


What are the advantages and disadvantages of measures of central tendency?

One advantage to using central tendency is the fact that is represents all data. A disadvantage to using central tendency is the fact that extremes can skew the data.


What is central tendency?

Though mean, median, and mode is central tendency, it is hard to put this into words.For an example:Your average grade in math class is an A. Though, how did you calculate that average? Well, since average means mean, you calculated that average using the method of central tendency, or in this situation, you found the mean.In other words, central tendency is just a method (mean, median and mode) to find the average, middle, and most occurring score or number in a set of data.I hope this helped! ;D~Lovingless


What an example of the uses of the measures of central tendency in everyday life?

An example of using measures of central tendency is in using mean; an example is using rating system to score a person. Also in median, which is used in subjects such as economics.


How do you find the best measure of central tendency when using outliers?

A weighted mean is probably best. Certainly better than a median which throws away information from most of the observations.


When is using the mean useful?

When you want the central location of a variable.


What is central tendency of a data?

The term central tendency refers to the middle value or a typical value of the data. It is measured using the mean, median, or mode of the data. Each of these processes is found using different methods, and the one that should be used depends on the situation. I truly hope this helps.


What two data characteristics are usually measured using numerical descriptive measures?

Variability and Central Tendency (Stats Student)


Is Mean is more sensitive to skewness than the median?

If the distribution is positively skewed , then the mean will always be the highest estimate of central tendency and the mode will always be the lowest estimate of central tendency (If it is a uni-modal distribution). If the distribution is negatively skewed then mean will always be the lowest estimate of central tendency and the mode will be the highest estimate of central tendency. In both positive and negative skewed distribution the median will always be between the mean and the mode. If a distribution is less symmetrical and more skewed, you are better of using the median over the mean.


What is the processing power of central processing unit?

It is a measure (using various methods of determination) of the ability of a particular PC (CPU Chip) or PC architecture (Fully build PC) to do useful work.


What is an advantage to using the median when examining a set of data?

The median or mode should be used instead of the mean in distributions with extreme outliers. In such cases, the mean can be a misleading measure of central tendency and the median value or the mode value are typically more accurate measures.


What is the most important reason for using a subclavian catheter?

Some medications are very hard on peripheral veins, like some chemotherapies or antibiotics and a central line is useful for administering them. Also, giving large volumes of fluid, obtaining frequent blood samples, and giving multiple medications are other reasons we use central lines. Central lines can also be used to measure vascular pressures.