• lemmy689@lemmy.sdf.org
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      16
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      11 hours ago

      Most frequent occurence is the mode. Most ppl have 10. The median would be less than ten, while the mean average is skewed down, I would think, by some people losing fingers as the grow. Having extra fingers is pretty rare. So the mean might be 9.95 fingers, just to toss a number out.

      • tetris11@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        edit-2
        3 hours ago

        Mode assumes categorical data and is unbounded by range, whereas median makes the most sense for decimal numbers, albeit with rounding in this case

        “People have round(median(data)) fingers”

        edit: though, if we’re counting just fingers and not counting half-fingers, then maybe this really is categorical data (¯\(ツ)/¯?)

      • davidgro@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        7 hours ago

        For 10 to not be the median it would also have to not be the case for the majority of people (just the plurality at best), and while I don’t have proof handy I’m pretty sure a vast majority have exactly 10, making that the precise median and the mode. Only the mean would be a different number of digits. (Both definitions)

      • bamboo@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        10 hours ago

        I assume the median and mode are the same value, 10 fingers, but have no data to back that up. I guess saying mode would have been a safer statement to make, but think that even if 49% of people have 0-9 fingers, the median number of fingers would still be 10.