One last post for the students following along who like to mix real life with their math lessons. We are going to look at "mean, median, mode, and range" to decide if it's a good idea to sit and watch eggs hatch right after we see a "pip".
Mean = the average. You simply add up all the values in a list, then divide by the number of values. For example: in the list "1,2,3,3,4", there are 5 values. We add them: 1+2+3+3+4 = 13. Then we divide the total by 5. 13/5= 2.6 (
or 2, Remainder 3). So, the
"mean", or "average", is 2.6.
Median = the middle value in a list. To get this, the numbers have to be in numerical order. In our list "1,2,3,3,4,5", the very middle value is "3", so the
median = 3.
Mode = the value that occurs the most often. In our list, "3" occurs twice, while all the others only occur once. So, the
mode = 3.
Range = the difference between the largest and smallest numbers. In the list above, the range is "between 5 and 1", or "5 - 1". 5-1 = 4, so our
range is 4. You can also just say, "
between 5 and 1".
Of all the eggs that hatched, there were 13 that we feel confident in knowing when they pipped and when they hatched. Then number of hours that passed between "pip" and "hatch" was different for many of them. This list tells us how many hours passed between "pip" and actual "hatch" for 13 different chicks.
10, 10, 11, 12, 12, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 22, 22, 29
Using the above information, find mean, median, mode and range for the number of hours it takes a chick to hatch after it has pipped. Then, tell whether it's a good idea to sit and watch eggs hatch immediately after an egg has pipped. [Hint: how much fun is it to sit in a car driving for 10, or 12, or 29 hours?]
