Question

members of a junior high basketball team want to brag about how tall they are. first, they measured each player’s height in inches. now they have to decide whether the mean or the median is better. which measure of center should the team use?
basketball team’s height (in inches)
64, 67, 83, 65, 66, 62, 69

the team’s mean height is
the team’s median height is
if the team members wants to brag about how tall they are, they should use their height.
mean
median
outlier
tallest

Explanation:

Step1: Calculate the mean

First, find the sum of all the heights. The heights are 64, 67, 83, 65, 66, 62, 69.
Sum = \(64 + 67 + 83 + 65 + 66 + 62 + 69\)
Calculate the sum: \(64+67 = 131\), \(131+83 = 214\), \(214+65 = 279\), \(279+66 = 345\), \(345+62 = 407\), \(407+69 = 476\).
There are 7 data points. So the mean is \(\frac{476}{7}=68\).

Step2: Calculate the median

First, order the data from least to greatest: 62, 64, 65, 66, 67, 69, 83.
Since there are 7 (odd number) data points, the median is the middle value, which is the 4th value. The 4th value is 66.

Step3: Decide which measure to use

The mean is 68 and the median is 66. Since 68 > 66, the mean is larger. So if they want to brag about being tall, they should use the mean, as it is a larger measure of center.

Answer:

The team's mean height is \(68\).
The team's median height is \(66\).
If the team members want to brag about how tall they are, they should use their mean height.