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median
1[mee-dee-uhn]
noun
Arithmetic, Statistics.the middle number in a given sequence of numbers, taken as the average of the two middle numbers when the sequence has an even number of numbers.
4 is the median of 1, 3, 4, 8, 9.
Geometry.a straight line from a vertex of a triangle to the midpoint of the opposite side.
Also called midpoint.a vertical line that divides a histogram into two equal parts.
adjective
Statistics.relating to the value in the center of the distribution for an array of data.
the median income of American households.
noting or relating to a plane dividing something into two equal parts, especially one dividing an animal into right and left halves.
situated in or relating to the middle; medial.
Median
2[mee-dee-uhn]
adjective
of or relating to Media, the Medes, or their language.
noun
a Mede.
the Iranian language of ancient Media, contemporaneous with Old Persian.
median
/ ˈːɪə /
adjective
of, relating to, situated in, or directed towards the middle
biology of or relating to the plane that divides an organism or organ into symmetrical parts
statistics of or relating to the median
noun
a middle point, plane, or part
geometry
a straight line joining one vertex of a triangle to the midpoint of the opposite side See also centroid
a straight line joining the midpoints of the nonparallel sides of a trapezium
statistics the middle value in a frequency distribution, below and above which lie values with equal total frequencies
statistics the middle number or average of the two middle numbers in an ordered sequence of numbers
7 is the median of both 1, 7, 31 and 2, 5, 9, l6
Also called: central reservation.the strip, often covered with grass, that separates the two sides of a highway
median
In a sequence of numbers arranged from smallest to largest:
The middle number, when such a sequence has an odd number of values. For example, in the sequence 3, 4, 14, 35, 280, the median is 14.
The average of the two middle numbers, when such a sequence has an even number of values. For example, in the sequence 4, 8, 10, 56, the median is 9 (the average of 8 and 10).
A line joining a vertex of a triangle to the midpoint of the opposite side.
median
1The point in a series at which half of the values or units of the series are higher and half lower.
median
2In statistics, the middle value of a set of numbers or data points; half the figures will fall below the median and half above. (See average; compare mean and mode.)
Other 51Թ Forms
- medianly adverb
- postmedian adjective
- premedian noun
- submedian adjective
- ˈ徱Ա adverb
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of median1
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of median1
Example Sentences
The proposal would peg loans to the median cost of all similar programs.
However, for regular Americans who are politically independent and make around or below median income, the status of the economy is a much less important question than long-running trends of economic well-being.
Through the first four months of the year, the median property in Altadena spent 19 days on the market compared with 35 days over the same stretch last year, according to Redfin.
Most have only a high school degree or less, and their median annual income is $0.
And in those instances, you have a Republican court majority that is probably closer to the median Republican in Congress or than they are to Donald Trump.
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When To Use
In the context of mathematics and statistics, the median is the middle number in a set of values when those values are arranged from smallest to largest. In contrast, the word mean refers to what’s informally called the average—the sum of a set of values divided by the number of values. The mode of a set of values is the most frequently repeated value in the set.The word average is of course also very commonly used in more general ways. In math, though, it’s helpful to use more specific terms when determining the most representative or common value in a set of numbers.To illustrate the difference, let’s look at an example set of seven values: 2, 3, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9.To get the mean of this set, you’d add up all the values (2+3+3+4+6+8+9=35) and then divide that total by the number of values (7), resulting in a mean of 5. This is what most people are referring to when they refer to the average of some set of numbers.To find the median, you have to find the one that’s sequentially in the middle. In a set of seven numbers arranged in increasing value, the median is the fourth number (since there are three before and three after). In this set (2, 3, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9), the median is 4. When a set has an even number of values, the median is the mean of the two middle values.The mode is simply the value that shows up the most. In the example set, the mode is 3, since it occurs twice and all the other values occur only once.Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between median, mean, mode, and average.
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