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21 votes
21 votes
A consumer research project purchased identical items in eight drugstores the mean cost for the purchased items was $155.89 the mode was $154 using the empirical relationship among mean median and mode estimate the median and comment on the skewness of distribution

User ILemming
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1 Answer

24 votes
24 votes

In case of a moderately skewed distribution, the difference between mean and mode is almost equal to three times the difference between the mean and median.


\operatorname{mean}-mode=3(\operatorname{mean}-\operatorname{median})

Using this rule in our problem, we have


\begin{gathered} 155.89-154=3(155.89-\operatorname{median}) \\ 1.89=3(155.89-\operatorname{median}) \\ 0.63=155.89-\operatorname{median} \\ \operatorname{median}=155.89-0.63 \\ \operatorname{median}=155.26 \end{gathered}

The median is $155.26.

If a frequency distribution graph has a symmetrical frequency curve, then mean, median and mode will be equal.

In case of a positively skewed frequency distribution, the mean is always greater than median and the median is always greater than the mode.

In case of a negatively skewed frequency distribution, the mean is always lesser than median and the median is always lesser than the mode.

In our problem, the mean is greater than the median


155.89>155.26

and the median is greater than the mode


155.26>154

Therefore, we have a positively skewed frequency distribution.

User Amari
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