Which measure is most affected by extreme values?

Which measure is most affected by extreme values?

• A. Mode
• B. Median
• C. Mean
• D. All measures

Answer: (C)

When a dataset has extreme values, the measure that mirrors every observation is most affected. The mean uses every number in the list, so an unusually large or small value pulls the average toward itself. For example, in a small cluster like 2, 3, 4, 5 plus an outlier 100, the mean becomes much larger than the cluster, while the median stays near the center of the ordered data and the mode (the most frequent value) remains largely unaffected. So the mean is the measure most influenced by extreme values because it incorporates the magnitude of every observation. The median stays stable because it depends only on the order and the middle position, not on how far values are from each other, and the mode is about frequency rather than magnitude.

When a dataset has extreme values, the measure that mirrors every observation is most affected. The mean uses every number in the list, so an unusually large or small value pulls the average toward itself. For example, in a small cluster like 2, 3, 4, 5 plus an outlier 100, the mean becomes much larger than the cluster, while the median stays near the center of the ordered data and the mode (the most frequent value) remains largely unaffected.

So the mean is the measure most influenced by extreme values because it incorporates the magnitude of every observation. The median stays stable because it depends only on the order and the middle position, not on how far values are from each other, and the mode is about frequency rather than magnitude.