Calculating the median from data displays

The  exercise appears under the 6th grade (U.S.) Math Mission. This exercise practices the ability to read different statistical displays and to calculate the median.

Types of Problems
There are two types of problems in this exercise:


 * 1) Find the median from the bar chart: This problem has a bar chart that displays some data. The student is asked to use the bar chart to find the median of the represented in the display.Ctmfdd2.png
 * 2) Find the median from the frequency table: This problem has a frequency table that displays some data. The student is asked to use the frequency table to find the median of the represented in the display.Ctmfdd3.png

Strategies
Knowledge of statistical vocabulary and the ability to do basic statistical calculations are encouraged to ensure success on this exercise.
 * 1) The median of a data set is found by ordering the data and finding the value in the middle.
 * 2) The repeated nature of data in bar charts and frequency tables can be used to find the median more efficiently from the full count of the data set.

Real-life Applications

 * 1) Data and statistics appear in news reports and in the media every day.
 * 2) Many of the problems in this exercise could be viewed as real-life applications.
 * 3) Statistics can be seen more frequently than calculus in every day life.