Center, Spread, and Shape
Aligned to 6.SP.A.2 — Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.
What this lesson teaches
A data set is described three ways: its center (a typical value like the mean or median), its spread (how far the values stretch), and its shape (are values bunched, even, or skewed?).
Worked example
For test scores 80, 82, 85, 88, 90: the center (median) is 85, the spread (range) is 90 − 80 = 10, and the shape is fairly even with no big gaps.
Practice questions
- Find the median (center) of 4, 7, 9, 12, 15.
- Find the range (spread) of 20, 22, 30, 45.
- Describe the shape of a data set where most values cluster low with one very high value.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Centro, Dispersión y Forma
Un conjunto de datos se describe de tres maneras: su centro (un valor típico como la media o la mediana), su dispersión (qué tanto se extienden los valores) y su forma (¿están agrupados, parejos o sesgados?).
Ejemplo: Para las calificaciones 80, 82, 85, 88, 90: el centro (mediana) es 85, la dispersión (rango) es 90 − 80 = 10, y la forma es bastante pareja sin grandes huecos.
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