Statistics: common misconceptions

If your child says… “There are three rows, so I divide by three.”

Ask together

How many people do these three rows count altogether?

What’s true

These three rows represent four people, so divide the estimated total by four.

If your child says… “The tallest bar is three, so the mode is three minutes.”

Ask together

Does the vertical scale measure people or minutes?

What’s true

Bar height counts people, while the horizontal position gives their waiting time.

If your child says… “No class count exceeds four, so there is no median class.”

Ask together

How many waits have you counted altogether by the end of each class?

What’s true

The middle position counts waits across earlier classes too.

If your child says… “I can add three-quarters straight to the class's start.”

Ask together

How many minutes is three-quarters of this two-minute interval?

What’s true

Multiply the fraction by the class width to turn it into minutes.

If your child says… “The mean always tells us the most common amount.”

Ask together

Which original pile had the equal-share count of four?

What’s true

Here, four is the equal share; two is the most frequent original pile size.