The Median-Median Line

Lesson 3.4

Have you noticed that you and your

classmates frequently find different
equations to model the same data?
The median-median line is one of the
simplest methods.
The procedure for finding the medianmedian line uses three points M1, M2,
and M3 to represent the entire data set,
and the equation that best fits these
three points is taken as the line of fit for
the entire set of data.

To find the three points that will represent the

entire data set, you first order all the data points
by their domain value (the x-value) and then
divide the data into three
equal groups.
If the number of points is not divisible by 3, then
you split them so that the first and last groups
are the same size. For example:
18 data points: split into groups of 6-6-6
19 data points: split into groups of 6-7-6
20 data points: split into groups of 7-6-7

You then order the y-values within

each of the groups. The
representative point for each
group has the coordinates of the
median x-value of that group and
the median y-value of that group.
Because a good line of fit divides
the data evenly, the medianmedian line should pass between
M1, M2, and M3, but be closer to
M1 and M3 because they represent
two-thirds of the data.
To accomplish this, you can find
the y-intercept of the line through
M1 and M3, and the y-intercept of
the line through M2 that has the
same slope.
The mean of the three y-intercepts

Example
Find the median-median

line for these data.

slopem1 m3

60 29
5.082
11.9 5.8

ym1 m3 29 5.082( x 5.8)

ym1 m3 0.475 5.082 x

slopem1 m3

yM2 44.5 5.082( x 8.6)

yM2 0.795 5.082 x

60 29
5.082
11.9 5.8

y M2 0.795 5.082 x

ym1 m3 0.475 5.082x

The Median-Median Line

The median-median line is parallel to both of

these lines, so it will also have a slope of 5.082.

To find the y-intercept of the median-median line,
you find the mean of the y-intercepts of the lines
through M1, M2, and M3 .
Since there is one line that passes through

M1

and M2, the y-intercept for these lines are both 0.475. The y-intercept of the line through M3 is
0.795. -0.475 + (-0.475) + 0.795 0.052
3
The mean of the y-intercepts is
ymedian median 0.052 5.082x

So the equation of the median-median line is

Finding a Median-Median Line

1. Order your data by domain value first. Then, divide the

data into three sets equal in size. If the number of points

does not divide evenly into three groups, make sure that
the first and last groups are the same size. Find the
median x-value and the median y-value in each group. Call
these points M1, M2, and M3 .
2. Find the slope of the line through M1 and M3 . This is the
slope of the median-median line.
3. Find the equation of the line through M1 with the slope you
found in Step 2. The equation of the line through M3 will
be the same.
4. Find the equation of the line through M2 with the slope you
found in Step 2.
5. Find the y-intercept of the median-median line by taking
the mean of the y-intercepts of the lines through M1, M2,
and M3 . The y-intercepts of the lines through M1 and M3

Airline Schedules
In this investigation you

will use data about

airline flights to find a
median-median line to
model the relationship
between the distance of
a flight and the flight
time. You will use the
linear model to make
predictions about flight
times and distances that
arent in the table.
The flights listed here
are morning departures
from Detroit, Michigan.
Write a complete

 Graph the data

on graph paper.
Show the steps
to calculate the
median-median
line through the
data. Write the
equation of this
line. Use your
calculator to
check your
work.

M1 (67,306)
M2 (168.1033.5)
M3 (288,1979)

slopeM1 M3

64
67
10
4
12
0
15
6
18
24
0
8
18
28
9
8

30

22
9
30
6
658
61
938
0
112
9
109
167
2
1
197
9
207

(67,
306)

1979 306

288 67

1673
7.57
221

yM1 M3 306 7.57(x 67)

yM1 M3 201.19 7.57 x

(168,
1033.5)

yM2 1033.5 7.57( x 168)

yM2 238.26 7.57 x
yintercept

(288,
1979)

201.19 201.19 238.26

3
213.55

ymedian 213.55 7.57x

On your graph,
mark the three
representative
points used in
the medianmedian process.
Add the line to
this graph.

Answer these questions about your data and model.

a. Use your median-median line to interpolate two
points for which you did not collect data. What is the
real-world meaning of each of these points?
b. Which two points differ the most from the value
predicted by your equation? Explain why.
c. What is the real-world meaning of your slope?
d. Find the y-intercept of your median-median line.
What is its real-world meaning?
e. What are the domain and range for your data?
Why?
f. Compare the median-median line method to the
method you used in Lesson 3.3 to find the line of fit.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of
each? In your opinion, which method produces a