• ylph@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    3 months ago

    The word average is often used to mean mean, however it can be used less specifically - median is a type of average as well.

    From Merriam-Webster:

    1a) a single value (such as a mean, mode, or median) that summarizes or represents the general significance of a set of unequal values

    Also, things like testosterone levels in a population usually follow a normal distribution, where both mean and median are the same, so the distinction is often meaningless for practical purposes

    • Sneezycat@sopuli.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      3 months ago

      Still, that’s not how the mean or the mode work. And one could argue a group of Olympic athletes is not a big enough population to assume a normal distribution. But yeah, you’re also right.