Median vs. Second Quartile question

[Mathman2013]

Homework Statement

Lets say I have a list of numbers.

income=[17000, 11000, 23000, 19999, 21000, 10000]

I sort them income_sorted=[10000, 11000, 17000, 19999, 21000, 23000]

Calculate med 2nd Quartile.

Homework Equations

Median_formula = (n+1)/2

The Attempt at a Solution

The second quartile and the median are most cases the same, so the median is 17000.

Then since there 6 observations.

I use the formula to Calculate the median and find that median = (6+1)/2 = 3.5

Meaning that the median is between the third and fourth number.

Find the average between those (17000+19999)/2 = 18500.

So my question aren't the median and 2.quartile suppose of a set of non-grouped observations suppose to equal each other? Or have I slept through statistics class?

 

[Master1022]

So my question aren't the median and 2.quartile suppose of a set of non-grouped observations suppose to equal each other? Or have I slept through statistics class?

You are correct in saying that the median and the second quartile (Q2) are the exact same thing. I believe you calculated the median correctly the second time (by averaging terms 3 and 4). What led you to say that the median is 17000?

 

[CWatters]

[strike]I'm a bit rusty but I thought the median was a single value but a quartile was a range.[/strike]

I was wrong.

 

[Master1022]

[strike]I'm a bit rusty but I thought the median was a single value but a quartile was a range.[/strike]

I was wrong.

maybe you're thinking about the inter-quartile range?

Sorry, just saw the edit now.

 

[CWatters]

maybe you're thinking about the inter-quartile range?

Sorry, just saw the edit now.

That was probably it.