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1 vote
Time Series Diagnostic Assessment

Below is the Predator-Prey data that shows population numbers for predator and prey
species A and B in an ecosystem over a period of 16 years.
Time (Years)
12
13
14
15
16
9
10
11
6
7
8
5
4
3
0
1
2
Number in Predator
Species
10
22
34
36
25
12
8
17
30
36
30
17
9
13
25
35
33
Number in Prey
Species
200
310
323
228
111
77
154
273
329
271
153
80
117
229
317
301
198
Would the mean or median be a better measure for the center of the predator
data? Explain your reasoning.

User Jacopo
by
7.8k points

1 Answer

3 votes

The predator data, the median would be a better measure for the center compared to the mean.

To determine whether the mean or median would be a better measure for the center of the predator data, let's examine the provided predator data:

10,22,34,36,25,12,8,17,30,36,30,17,9,13,25,35,33

To make an informed decision, consider the characteristics of the data:

Presence of Outliers: Look for extreme values in the dataset.

Outliers can significantly impact the mean but have less effect on the median.

Symmetry of the Data Distribution: If the data is symmetrically distributed, the mean and median may be close to each other.

In skewed distributions, the mean tends to be pulled toward the skewness.

Now, let's examine the data:

There are some higher values in the data, such as 36, which may be considered as potential outliers.

The data does not appear to be perfectly symmetric.

Given these observations, the presence of potential outliers suggests that the mean might be influenced by these extreme values.

In this case, the median would likely be a more robust measure of central tendency.

The median is less sensitive to outliers and provides a better representation of the central position of the data, especially in the presence of skewed or non-normally distributed data.

Therefore, for the predator data, the median would be a better measure for the center compared to the mean.

User Kibbee
by
8.2k points