In the data set 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, which statistics are equal to 3?

• A. Mean only
• B. Mean and Median (both equal 3)
• C. Median only
• D. Mode only

Answer: (B)

Mean and median line up at 3 in this set. The mean is found by averaging all numbers: (1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5) / 5 = 15 / 5 = 3. The median is the middle value when the data are in order, and with five numbers the middle one is 3, so the median is 3. The mode is the most frequent value, but here every value occurs exactly once, so there is no mode. So the statistics that equal 3 are the mean and the median.