Final answer:
The median is the middle value of a dataset when ordered in ascending order. With the ages given, (14, 12, 15, 17) arranged they would be (12, 14, 15, 17), and the median would be the average of 14 and 15 which is 14.5 years.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the median, we must first arrange the data in ascending order. Once the data is ordered, the median is the number that divides the dataset into two equal halves. If there is an odd number of data points, the median is the middle number. If there is an even number of data points, the median is the average of the two middle numbers.
For example, if we have a list of ages: 14, 12, 15, 17, we would arrange them as follows: 12, 14, 15, 17. Since there is an even number of ages, the median would be the average of 14 and 15, resulting in a median of 14.5 years. This is similar to a dataset where the median range is provided, indicating the scale or the interval within which the median falls.
Understanding sampling variability is also essential when estimating medians from samples. Sampling variability refers to the variation that occurs by chance because a sample is not perfectly representative of the population.