Strengths and Limitations of Mean
Omkar Sutar
Data Analyst | Power BI Expert | Power Automate Specialist | Python Aficionado
There are several advantages to using the mean as a measure of central tendency:
·????????It is easy to calculate: The mean is simple to calculate, as it only involves adding up all the values in a dataset and dividing the sum by the number of values.
·????????It takes into account all the values in the dataset: The mean takes into account all the values in a dataset, which makes it a more comprehensive measure of central tendency compared to measures such as the mode or median.
·????????It is widely used and understood: The mean is a commonly used and understood measure of central tendency, making it easy to communicate and compare to other datasets.
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However, there are also some limitations to using the mean as a measure of central tendency:
·????????It can be affected by extreme values: The mean can be affected by extreme values, or outliers, in the dataset. For example, if a dataset contains an extremely high or low value, it can pull the mean upwards or downwards and make it less representative of the "typical" value in the dataset.
·????????It may not be representative for certain types of data: The mean may not be a good measure of central tendency for data that is skewed or has a large number of outliers. In these cases, the median or mode might be more representative measures of central tendency.
·????????It does not give a sense of the dispersion of the data: The mean does not give any information about the spread or dispersion of the data. For example, two datasets could have the same mean but very different spreads of values. In these cases, measures such as the range, variance, or standard deviation might be more informative.