Question

the responses of a sample of 5204 shoppers who were asked how their purchases are made are shown in the table. find the mean, the median, and the mode of the data, if possible. if any measure cannot be found or does not represent the center of the data, explain why.
find the mean. select the correct choice below and, if necessary, fill in the answer box to complete your choice.
a. the mean represents the center of the data set.
b. the mean does not represent the center because it is not a data entry.
c. the mean does not represent the center because it is the greatest data entry.
d. the mean does not represent the center because it is the least data entry.
e. the data set does not have a mean.
find the median. select the correct choice below and, if necessary, fill in the answer box to complete your choice.
a. the median is
(round to one decimal place as needed.)
b. the median cannot be calculated because there is an even number of data entries.
c. the median cannot be calculated because the data are at the nominal level of measurement.
d. the median cannot be calculated because the sample size is too small.
does the median represent the center of the data? choose the correct answer below.
a. the median represents the center of the data set.
b. the median does not represent the center because it is the least data entry.
c. the median does not represent the center because it is the greatest data entry.
d. the median does not represent the center because it is not a data entry.
e. the data set does not have a median.

Explanation:

Step1: Recall mean - applicable data type

The mean is calculated for numerical data. The data about how purchases are made (e.g., research online and in - store, buy in - store) is categorical (nominal level of measurement). So, we cannot calculate the mean.

Step2: Recall median - applicable data type

The median is applicable for ordinal or numerical data. Since the data about purchase methods is nominal (no order among the categories), we cannot calculate the median.

Answer:

For the mean: E. The data set does not have a mean.
For the median: C. The median cannot be calculated because the data are at the nominal level of measurement.
For whether the median represents the center: E. The data set does not have a median.