Leo+DadMade for Leo
The Effect of Individual Data Points
Rung 2 of 4 · The method

Recomputing After a Value Is Added or Removed

There's no fancy trick — you just work the mean, median and range out again on the new list. The interesting bit is noticing how differently each one reacts.


PractisePick "add" or "remove" and a measure, work out the new value, then reveal the before & after.
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When a data point joins or leaves, don't try to "adjust" the old answer in your head — just build the new list and recompute each measure from scratch. It's safer, and it makes the differences between the measures jump out.

Worked Example — Adding a Value

Say the list is 3, 5, 6, 7, 9. The sum is 30 over 5 values, so the mean is 30 ÷ 5 = 6; the median is the middle one, 6; the range is 9 − 3 = 6. Now we add a 19. New list: 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 19. The new sum is 49 over 6 values, so the mean jumps to about 8.2. The median? With six values it's the average of the middle two (6 and 7), so 6.5 — barely moved. And the range leaps to 19 − 3 = 16, because 19 is a brand-new biggest value. One number added; three very different reactions.

Worked Example — Removing a Value

Take that same 3, 5, 6, 7, 9 and remove the 9. New list 3, 5, 6, 7: sum 21 over 4 values, mean 5.25; median is the average of 5 and 6, so 5.5; range is 7 − 3 = 4. The range dropped because we deleted the biggest number. If you'd instead removed a middling value like the 6, the range wouldn't change at all.

Say it plainly: mean = new sum ÷ new count. Median = re-order the new list, take the middle (or the middle two averaged). Range = new biggest − new smallest. Always recompute on the changed list.

The One Trap

Don't forget that adding or removing a value changes how many there are — so the median can flip between "single middle" and "average of two", and your divisor for the mean changes too. People lose marks by dividing the new sum by the old count. Re-count every time.

Us, Thinking Out Loud

When you add a value, why does the count for the mean have to change too?

Which measure was easiest to predict after the change — and which fooled you?