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> However, if most people were like me, ... My teacher always said: Imagine the most average american citizen. Then realize that half of the american populatio

• tdkl 10y ago
  He must've been a Carlin fan (American stand up comedian).
• mikestew 10y ago
  Really brings things in perspective. It does, doesnt it? I mean, you'd think a math teacher of all people would know not to use "average" when they really mean "median". I always wondered whether Carlin was being ironic when he told the joke.
  • dragonwriter 10y ago
    > you'd think a math teacher of all people would know not to use "average" when they really mean "median". I think a math teacher would be well aware that "average" can be used for "median", "mode", "arithmetic mean", or any of the other means (geometric, harmonic, etc.), as well as other computed values that are somewhere in the space bounded by the extremes of a data set, and would likewise be aware that, while in a formal context "average" should -- for that reason -- be avoided in favor of identifying the specific measure more precisely, it was acceptable and unambiguous to use "average" for any of those, including the median, where context made it clear which was intended.
    • lotharbot 10y ago
      I like this comment so much that I reposted it to facebook. "Average" is, in fact, a generic term which we shouldn't freak out about too much.