ACT Preparation / Unit 15 ACT 1410 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Outliers and Skew
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The idea
An outlier pulls the mean toward it but barely moves the median. In a skewed distribution, the mean is often pulled toward the long tail.
In practice
Salaries of 40, 42, 45 and 300 thousand: the median is 43.5 thousand, the mean 106.75 thousand.
Where people slip
With an outlier or a long tail, the median describes the typical value better than the mean.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
Unlocks
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