Big Data Analytics

198 • Big Data Analytics

When approaching a variable in a data set, a common approach is to

estimate the magnitude of the values addressed. For example, if we were

the CEO of a chain of stores, we would want to know whether a typical

customer visits our store six times a year or once every 6years. We can-

not use such basic information to draw solid conclusions, but unless we

understand the central tendencies of the data as well as the dispersion,

we nd it dicult to understand the signicance of the phenomena we

measure.

Measures of central tendency provide some idea of which values are

common and which are not. Using a measure of central tendency to exam-

ine home prices in our communities does not tell us much about either the

mansions or ...