Exam Questions – Discrete data / mean – GCSE ExamSolutions Maths All exams boards Revision

Exam Questions – Discrete data / mean

Discrete data refers to information that can only take certain values. The mean is calculated by adding up these values and dividing by the number of data points.
Typical questions about discrete data and the mean could ask you to calculate the mean of a dataset, identify errors in a given calculation, or interpret the mean in the context of the problem.
Sometimes, questions might ask you to consider how an additional piece of data would affect the mean, requiring you to calculate a new mean based on this information.

Start by identifying whether the problem involves discrete data. This usually involves countable data like the number of students in a class, the number of phones in a sample, etc.
When asked to calculate the mean, add up all the given values and then divide by the number of values. Be careful with your arithmetic to avoid mistakes.
Remember, the order of the values in your dataset does not affect the calculation of the mean. So, even if the data is presented in a different order, the steps to calculate the mean remain the same.
When interpreting questions, think about how the mean represents the ‘average’ and what this ‘average’ might mean in the context of the question. Remember that the mean can be influenced by outliers.

Questions regarding outliers are often presented in problems involving the mean of discrete data. Remember that outliers can greatly affect the mean, potentially making it less representative of the central tendency of the data.
If a problem involves hypotheticals or changes to the dataset, remember to calculate the new mean correctly based on the updated information.
You might be asked to compare different datasets or means. In this case, remember that a higher mean does not necessarily mean higher values across the dataset - just a higher average.

Work through past paper questions on discrete data and mean for practice.
Understand the basics of calculating a mean and how to interpret it.
Develop a methodical approach to these kinds of questions to prevent avoidable mistakes.
Try to understand and explain in your own words what the mean tells you about a dataset.