Question

(b) which would be a better measure of the typical number of hurricanes per year: the mean or the median? justify your answer.
the median better summarizes the center of the distribution because the distribution is fairly symmetric with no possible outliers.
the median better summarizes the center of the distribution because the number of hurricanes per year distribution is skewed to the right and has a possible outlier in the 15 to <16 hurricanes interval.
the mean better summarizes the center of the distribution because the number of hurricanes per year distribution is skewed to the right and has a possible outlier in the 15 to <16 hurricanes interval.
the mean better summarizes the center of the distribution because the distribution is fairly symmetric with no possible outliers.

Explanation:

The mean is sensitive to outliers. When the distribution is skewed to the right and has outliers, the median is a better measure of the center as it is not affected by extreme values. When the distribution is symmetric with no outliers, the mean is a good measure of the center.

Answer:

If the distribution is fairly symmetric with no possible outliers, the mean better summarizes the center of the distribution because the mean takes into account all values in the data - set. If the distribution is skewed to the right and has a possible outlier in the 15 to <16 hurricanes interval, the median better summarizes the center of the distribution because the median is not affected by outliers. So, if the distribution is fairly symmetric with no possible outliers: The mean better summarizes the center of the distribution because the distribution is fairly symmetric with no possible outliers. If the distribution is skewed to the right and has a possible outlier in the 15 to <16 hurricanes interval: The median better summarizes the center of the distribution because the distribution is skewed to the right and has a possible outlier in the 15 to <16 hurricanes interval.