1. What is the Median?

The median is the middle value in a sorted dataset. It's a robust measure of central tendency that is less affected by outliers than the mean. The median divides the dataset into two equal halves.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the median formula:

Where:

• \( n \) — Number of observations in the dataset
• Values must be sorted in ascending order

Explanation: For odd datasets, the median is the middle value. For even datasets, it's the average of the two middle values.

3. Importance of Median Calculation

Details: The median is particularly useful when dealing with skewed distributions or datasets with outliers, as it provides a better central value than the mean in these cases.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter comma-separated numerical values. The calculator will sort the values and compute the median automatically. Example: 5, 2, 7, 1, 9

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: When should I use median instead of mean?
A: Use median when your data is skewed or contains outliers, as the median is less sensitive to extreme values.

Q2: How does the median handle empty datasets?
A: An empty dataset has no median. The calculator requires at least one valid numerical value.

Q3: Does the calculator handle non-numeric values?
A: Non-numeric values are automatically filtered out before calculation.

Q4: What's the difference between median and mode?
A: Median is the middle value, while mode is the most frequently occurring value in the dataset.

Q5: Can I calculate median for categorical data?
A: No, median requires ordinal or numerical data that can be meaningfully ordered.