The weight, in pounds, of 6 small dogs is: 16, 20, 17, 16, 17, 16. A somewhat overweight dog joins them. The new dog weighs 28 pounds. Which measure of central tendency is not affected by placing this new dog into the group?

Question

anonymous · Answer

the median is NOT affected!

mertsj · Answer

The mode since 16 still appears most often in the list.

anonymous · Answer

the mean WILL be affected!

anonymous · Answer

yes the mode is also independent

mertsj · Answer

The median is affected because in the original list it is 16.5
In the new list it is 17

anonymous · Answer

generally in statistics we say that the median and mode are independent of outliers! but since this data set is rather small, the median may be affected!

anonymous · Answer

i taught statistics! no need to argue my point!

mertsj · Answer

The median of a distribution with a discrete random variable depends on whether the number of terms in the distribution is even or odd. If the number of terms is odd, then the median is the value of the term in the middle. This is the value such that the number of terms having values greater than or equal to it is the same as the number of terms having values less than or equal to it. If the number of terms is even, then the median is the average of the two terms in the middle, such that the number of terms having values greater than or equal to it is the same as the number of terms having values less than or equal to it