Question

In each of Exercises 3.42-3.50, use the technology of your choice to obtain the measures of center that are appropriate from among the mean, median, and mode. Discuss your results and decide which measure of center is most appropriate. Provide a reason for your answer. Note: If an exercise contains more than one data set, perform the aforementioned tasks for each data set.

The Great White Shark. In an article titled "Great White Deep Trouble" (National Geographic, Vol. 197 (4), pp . 2-29 ) Peter Benchley the author of JAWS-discussed various aspects of the Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias). Data on the number of pups borne in a lifetime by each of 80 Great White Shark females are provided on the WeissStats site.

Short answer

Mean is the most appropriate

The values of mean, median, and mode are 7.125, 7, and 7, 8 respectively.

Step-by-step solution

Step 1. Given information.

The given statement is:

On the WeissStats website, data regarding the number of pups borne in a lifetime by each Great White Shark mother is supplied.

Step 2. Determine the most suitable center measure.

The information provided is quantitative. As a result, the data's mean, median, and mode can be derived.

MINITAB is used to calculate the mean, median, and mode.

The following is the procedure for calculating the mean, median, and mode.

• Select Stat >Basic Statistics> Descriptive Statistics from the drop-down menu.
• Fill in the PUPS columns in Variables.
• Select Statistic from the drop-down menu, then Mean, Median, and Mode.
• Click OK

Step 3. MINITAB output.

The output of MINITAB is displayed below.

The mean is 7.125, the median is 7, and the mode is 7 and 8 according to figure (1).

As a result, the mean, median, and mode are the most accepted measures of center for the provided data, with the mean being 7.125, the median being 7, the mode being 7, 8, and the mean is the most appropriate because it estimates the total number of pups as compared to median and mode.