Hands-on math!

Median

The median of a set of numbers is the number in the middle.
It is NOT the average of the numbers!
For example, in the set of numbers {4, 6, 25}, the median is 6.
However the numbers must be in order for the median to be in the middle. If there are an even number of numbers, then the median is the average of the last 2 middle numbers.

There are 2 ways to find the median of a set of numbers:
1. Rewrite the numbers in order, then find the one in the middle
2. Cross off the highest number, then the lowest, then the highest, lowest, on and on, until only one number is left. That number will be the median.
This second method works best when you have a large set of numbers.

For a more in-depth discussion of median and other statistics, see the Statistics notes.

So, here is a problem for you:
What is the median of
{9, 2, 1, 6, 3} ?

Hint: Use the cross off method!