Distributions, Center and Spread on the Digital SAT: the Desmos Method
Mean, median and range are three numbers you can pull straight out of a list. Type the list into Desmos once, wrap it in the function the question named, and read the answer off the line. You never sort, you never add up, you never divide.
Problem Solving & Data Analysis·65 practice problems in DesPrep
The Distributions, Center and Spread lesson is part of DesPrep
It is one of the 17 full lessons inside the subscription — 7 sections that take distributions, center and spread from first principles to the fastest Desmos route, with a worked example on every one:
- Desmos already knows what a mean is
- The mean, in one line
- The median, and why you should never sort by hand
- Even-length lists are where hand work falls over
- Backwards: a mean is a total in disguise
- One number is added and the mean moves
- Mean against median, and what spread means
Then 65 practice problems on this skill alone, solved inside a live Desmos calculator with step feedback and an expert replay on every one.
More Problem Solving & Data Analysis guides
- Scatterplots and ModelsGraph a line of best fit and read predictions straight off it, instead of substituting by hand.
- Ratios, Rates, Proportions and UnitsTurn a rate into a line and read any proportional value off it in seconds.
- PercentagesPercent change and growth, set up so Desmos does the arithmetic and the graph shows the trend.
- ProbabilityTurn counts into a probability, reduced correctly every time, and keep track of which total the question restricts you to.