⊿ Point. {R} Glossary. ◢ Keyword: M. ◥ University. {q} PhD. {tr} Training. ⚫ UK. ↂ EndNote. ☝️ Weerakkody. Median. Middle quantile of a data set or probability distribution Finite data set of numbers[edit] The median of a finite list of numbers is the "middle" number, when those numbers are listed in order from smallest to greatest. If the data set has an odd number of observations, the middle one is selected. For example, the following list of seven numbers, has the median of 6, which is the fourth value. If the data set has an even number of observations, there is no distinct middle value and the median is usually defined to be the arithmetic mean of the two middle values.[1][2] For example, this data set of 8 numbers has a median value of 4.5, that is .
In general, with this convention, the median can be defined as follows: For a data set of elements, ordered from smallest to greatest, if is odd, is even, Formal definition[edit] The median is well-defined for any ordered (one-dimensional) data, and is independent of any distance metric. Uses[edit] For example, consider the multiset Properties[edit] and the mean.