!ommon sense would dictate that this is not possible. After all, there are numerous articles out there (particularly on the social media) using that as a sign of a fallacy in an argument. Things like “most people claim that they have better than average communication skills, which is obviously absurd!” are not uncommon. However, a data scientist is generally cautious when it comes to claims that are presented without proof, as she is naturally curious and eager to find out for herself if that’s indeed the case. So, let’s examine this possibility, free from prejudice and the views of the know-it-alls that seem to “know” the answer to this question, without ever using a programming language to at least verify their claim. The question is clear-cut and well-defined. However, our common sense tells us that the answer is obvious. If we look into it more deeply though and are truly honest with ourselves, we’ll find out that this depends on the distribution of the data. A variable may or may not follow the normal distribution that we are accustomed to. If it doesn’t it’s quite likely that it is possible for the majority of the data points in a variable to be larger than the average value of that variable. After all, the average value (or arithmetic mean as it is more commonly known to people who have delved into this matter more), is just a measure of central tendency, certainly not the only measure for figuring out the center of a distribution. In the normal distribution, this metric coincides in value with that of median, which is always in the center of a variable, if you order its values in ascending or descending order. However, the claim that mean = median (in value) holds true only in cases of a symmetric distribution (like the normal distribution we are so accustomed to assuming it characterizes the data at hand). If the distribution is skewed, something quite common, it is possible to have a mean that is smaller than the median, in which case, the majority of the data points will be towards the right of it, or in layman’s terms, higher in value than the average. Don’t take my word for it though! Attached is a script in Julia that generates an array that is quite likely to have the majority of its elements higher in value than its overall mean. Feel free to play around with it and find out by yourselves what the answer to this question is. After all, we are paid to answer questions using scientific processes, instead of taking someone else’s answers for granted, no matter who that person is.
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Zacharias Voulgaris, PhDPassionate data scientist with a foxy approach to technology, particularly related to A.I. Archives
April 2024
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