Mean Median Mode
Three measures of central tendency: the mean is the average, the median the middle value, and the mode the most frequent value.
The mean, median, and mode each describe the center of a distribution in a different way. The mean is the arithmetic average of all values. The median is the middle value when the data are ordered, so half the observations fall on each side. The mode is the value that occurs most often. In a symmetric distribution the three coincide; in skewed data they diverge, with the mean pulled toward extreme values.
Choosing the right measure matters when you write up results. The mean suits roughly symmetric interval data, the median is more honest for skewed variables such as income or reaction times, and the mode is often the only sensible choice for categorical data. Reporting the appropriate measure, and briefly saying why, signals to examiners that you understand your data rather than defaulting to the average.
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