shock horror half the population have less have the median inome!

[witchandchips]

any other choice reports from in-numerate journalists
(following on from the PND thread)

And the other half have more??!!

Say it isn't so!!!

I also thought that when I saw the PND and baby boys article

what on earth is the world coming to? those poor people

and the other half are lucky sods!

half of UK babies are below the 50th percentile!

(amazing how many MWs and HVs would say that means they're underweight...)

snigger

of course they do, otherwise how would they be able to make up averages.......

I sometimes wonder what some journalists do to really earn their money, given that half of them spout stuff that anyone with an ounce of commonsense knows already.....

I know MrsBadger, they won't be happy until they're all exactly the same shape and size

lol @this.. just had to click after I read the title.

Bloody hell! Next they'll be demanding to know why the median Uk income is less than the average UK income!

What does the title say?

Oh yes, and shockingly one in ten babies weighs above the 90th centile. No wonder obesity is on the rise.

Don't half the population have less than the MEAN income?

I remember reading that the government had targets to get more people achieving above average results in GCSEs.

Oh right - thanks!

I think centile charts are based on the median - ie 10% of babies weigh less than the 10th centile, 50% weigh less than the 50th centile, 75% weigh less than the 75th centile, 90% weigh less than the 90th centile.

At least that's what I've been told. Of course they were compiled a few years ago now so in practice I'm sure the true centiles are different anyway.

Well, technically I'd be surprised if exactly half of the population had less than the median income, because you'd expect there to be quite a few clustering exactly on the median income...

ooo, we have an exciting pedants' corner/in the news crossover!

We had a highly dramatic local news report recently about a study done in Cambridge. The study could be summarised as 'If you eat too much you'll get fat'.

very good starlight

pmsl