To find the median of a data set, follow these steps:

1. Order the data from smallest to largest.
2. Identify the middle value(s):
   • If the number of observations (data points) is odd , the median is the middle number in the ordered list.
   • If the number of observations is even , the median is the average of the two middle numbers.
3. Calculate the median:
   • For an odd number of data points, simply take the middle value.
   • For an even number, add the two middle values together and divide by 2.

Example for odd number of data points:

Data: 3, 5, 12
Ordered: 3, 5, 12
Median: 5 (the middle number)

Example for even number of data points:

Data: 3, 5, 7, 12
Ordered: 3, 5, 7, 12
Middle numbers: 5 and 7
Median: (5 + 7) / 2 = 6

Quick method to find the position of the median:

• Count the number of data points (n).
• Calculate n+12\frac{n+1}{2}2n+1​.
• If this is a whole number, the median is the value at that position.
• If this is a decimal (e.g., 7.5), the median is the average of the values at positions 7 and 8

This method ensures you find the central value that divides the data into two equal halves, with half the numbers below and half above the median

. For large data sets or when using software like Excel, you can use the MEDIAN function to calculate it automatically