Question

1. for each of the following statements, determine which average, the mean, median, or mode, was likely to have been used to draw the conclusion that was reached.

(a) half of the workers at primowidgets make more than $6.32 per hour and half make less than $6.32 per hour.
(b) the average number of children in each family renting apartments in yonkers heights is 1.82 children per family.
(c) in a recent survey of people purchasing convertibles, it was found that most prefer the color red.
(d) the average age of professors in the university of texas system is 43.7 years.
(e) the most common fear today is the fear of having to speak at a public gathering.

Explanation:

Part (a)

Step1: Recall definitions

The median of a dataset is the middle value when the data is ordered. It has the property that half the data values are less than or equal to it and half are greater than or equal to it.

Step2: Analyze the statement

The statement says half the workers make more than \$6.32 and half make less. This matches the definition of the median.

Step1: Recall definitions

The mean is calculated by summing all the data values and dividing by the number of data points. It represents the "average" in the sense of a balance point.

Step2: Analyze the statement

The average number of children per family is given as a decimal (1.82), which is a result of summing the number of children in all families and dividing by the number of families, a calculation typical of the mean.

Step1: Recall definitions

The mode is the value that appears most frequently in a dataset.

Step2: Analyze the statement

The word "most" indicates the color that is preferred by the greatest number of people, which is the mode.

Answer:

median

Part (b)