Re: Finding the median

I know what the median is - perhaps we
differ on our interpretation of percentiles.

Sort the data in order, then split it into 100 buckets so that each buck contains
exactly the same number of items.

Bucket 1 contains the 1% of the population with the lowest score etc. By the time you get to bucket 50 you have half the population behind you - so the top value of bucket 50, the bottom value in bucket 51, or the average of the two MUST be the median value.

--
Jonathan Lewis
Yet another Oracle-related web site:  http://www.jlcomp.demon.co.uk

Practical Oracle 8i:  Building Efficient Databases

Publishers:  Addison-Wesley
Book bound date: 8th Dec 2000
See a first review at:
http://www.ixora.com.au/resources/index.htm#practical_8i
More reviews at: http://www.jlcomp.demon.co.uk/book_rev.html



Paul Q wrote in message ...


>No, May not even be that close.

>The median is defined as that which is "situated in the middle", and it is

>calculated quite differently from the mean.  For example, the six friends

 in


>our example go shopping, and they spend the following amounts of money:

>$15.00, $24.50, $3.75, $43.99, $28.10, and $17.68.  First, the values in

>question are all arranged in numerical order.  In this case the order is:

>$3.75, $15.00, $17.68, $24.50, $28.10, $43.99.  If there were an odd number

>of values, the middle value would be considered the median.  Since there

 are


>an even number in this example, the median is the mean of the two middle

>values.  Those values are 17.68 and 24.50, and the mean of those two is

>21.09.  Therefore, the median amount is $21.09.  The median is most often

>used when there are values which are very high or very low.

>

>

>"Jonathan Lewis" <jonathan_at_jlcomp.demon.co.uk> wrote in message

>news:975707338.5062.0.nnrp-01.9e984b29_at_news.demon.co.uk...

>>

>> There is no built-in.

>> But if you have 8.1.6 you might be able to

>> use the Analytic functions to good effect.

>> e.g. Would the highest value in the 50th

>> percentile be a reasonable approximation ?

>>

>>

>> --

>> Jonathan Lewis

>> Yet another Oracle-related web site:  http://www.jlcomp.demon.co.uk

>>

>> Practical Oracle 8i:  Building Efficient Databases

>>

>> Publishers:  Addison-Wesley

>> Book bound date: 8th Dec 2000

>> See a first review at:

>> http://www.ixora.com.au/resources/index.htm#practical_8i

>> More reviews at: http://www.jlcomp.demon.co.uk/book_rev.html

>>

>>

>>

>> sw_at_weinerfamily.org wrote in message

 <3A27F23C.3A111F35_at_weinerfamily.org>...


>> >Given a column of numbers, how do I calculate the median? I don't see a

>> >function to do it.  Do I need to write a procedure?

>> >

>>

>>

>>

>>

>

>