median. 1 In statistics, a type of average. In a group of numbers as many numbers of the group are larger than the median as are smaller. In the group 4, 5, 6, 9, 13, 14, 19, the median is 9, three numbers being larger and three smaller. When there is an even number of numerals in the group, the median is usually defined as the number halfway between the middle pair. 2 In geometry, the line segment connecting any vertex of a triangle to the midpoint of the opposite side; the three medians of a triangle intersect in a single point, called the median point, or centroid. The median of a trapezoid is the line segment connecting the midpoints of the nonparalled opposite sides.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Mathematics
