Basic Statistics for Kids | Learning Basic Statistics for Elementary Students

Basic Statistics. 3 out of 4 dentists recommend using Brand X toothpaste. Most teens need 8 or 9 hours of sleep each night. The average amount of homework a student gets each week in the U.S. is a little more than 3.5 hours. Have you ever heard different numbers used to give information about something? If yes, then you have been listening to the results of Statistics is the science or practice of collecting and analyzing data in large quantities. Once data is collected, analyzed, and interpreted, it may be used for many different reasons, such as weather forecasts, medical decisions, political campaigns, insurance and financial decisions, consumer goods, product testing, crime reports, and many more. Almost everyone uses statistics in one way or another. Sometimes, you use statistics without ever realizing it. For example, you may decide to download a new song because thousands or millions of other people have downloaded the song. The number of people who have downloaded the song is a statistic. It is a large quantity of data that has been collected and you have analyzed it. You may have interpreted the data as well by saying, a lot of other people like this, so I will probably like it too. There are several important numbers used in basic statistics. The data set, the mean, the median, the mode, and the range. Regardless of the data collected, every set of statistics usually has a mean, median, and a range, and some sets will also include a mode. What are they? The term data set includes the actual information collected, analyzed, and interpreted by using the mean, median, mode, and range. All statistics begin with a set of data, usually numbers. Here's an example. Ten straight days of temperatures in New York City during October were 66, 68, 64, 61, 70, 72, 72, 68, 64, and 64. Mean. Most likely you have heard the word average. The mean is simply the average set of numbers. You add the numbers together and then divide the result by the quantity of numbers. For example, add the temperatures together and then divide by 10. 669 divided by 10 equals 66.9. 66.9 is the mean of the data set. Median. The median of a set of data is the middle number of a set of data. To find the median, align the data from the smallest to the largest. If the quantity of numbers is even, add the two middle numbers together and then divide by 2. 134 divided by 2 equals 67. So, 67 is the median. Mode. The mode for a set of data is the number appearing the most. If numbers appear an equal number of times, there could be more than one modes. If every number appears an equal number of times, then there is no mode. The mode for a set of data is the number appearing the most. For example, use the aligned numbers. Which number appears the most? If you said 64, you're right. 64 appears the most. So, it is the mode. Range. The range for a set of data is the difference between the lowest and highest numbers. Find the highest number and subtract the lowest number. For example, subtract the smallest number from the largest number. So, 72 minus 61 equals 11. So, 11 is the range. In summary, the data set has 10 values. Its mean is 66.9. The median is 67. The mode is 64. And the range is 11. How can this be analyzed? The average temperature in New York City is nearly 67 degrees Fahrenheit in October, but sometimes it can get a little cooler because the mode was lower at 64 degrees Fahrenheit. Here's how to remember the statistical terms mean, median, and mode. They all begin with the letter m. Mean is the average and takes the longest to solve, which might make you mean. The median has the letter d, just like the word middle. And mode begins with mo, just like the word most. What is the most surprising data or statistic you have heard in your life? What was it about?