Use the table to answer the question. Game Goals Scored 1 6 2 1 3 1 4 0 5 3 6 1 7 0 8 3 9 8

Question

Use the table to answer the question. Game Goals Scored 1 6 2 1 3 1 4 0 5 3 6 1 7 0 8 3 9 8

1 6
2 1
3 1
4 0
5 3
6 1
7 0
8 3
9 8

What value, the mean or median, best describes the shape of the data set that contains the number of goals scored by the soccer team?

Answer 1

Since the data set is skewed by outliers (such as the 6 and 8 goals scored in games 1 and 9 respectively), the median would best describe the shape of the data set. The median is not affected by outliers as much as the mean, making it a better measure of central tendency in this case.