Stem-and-Leaf Plots: How to find the Mean, Median, & Mode


A is a type of plot that displays data by splitting up each value in a dataset into a stem and a leaf.

This tutorial explains how to calculate the mean, median, and mode of a stem-and-leaf plot.

Example: Mean, Median & Mode of Stem-and-Leaf Plot

Suppose we have the following stem-and-leaf plot that shows the height of 19 different plants:

Mean:

To find the mean of this dataset, we can add up all of the individual values and divide by the total sample size of 19:

Mean = (11+12+13+26+26+30+31+31+42+45+46+51+52+61+78+82+82+93+94) / 19 = 47.68.

The mean turns out to be 47.68. This is the average value of the dataset.

Median:

To find the median of this dataset, we can write out all of the individual values in order and identify the value that lies directly in the middle:

11, 12, 13, 26, 26, 30, 31, 31, 42, 45, 46, 51, 52, 61, 78, 82, 82, 93, 94

The median turns out to be 45. This is the value located directly in the middle of the dataset.

Mode:

To find the mode of this dataset, we can identify the values that occur most often:

11, 12, 13, 26, 26, 30, 31, 31, 42, 45, 46, 51, 52, 61, 78, 82, 82, 93, 94

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