Average measurements

By 바카라사이트 law of averages, Vince Cable, 바카라사이트 business secretary, and David Willetts, 바카라사이트 universities and science minister, might have had reason to expect that, even after 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge��s opening salvo of ?9,000 in 바카라사이트 Fees War, English universities would still behave as planned: filling out 바카라사이트 full range of charges down to ?6,000, and so achieving a sectoral average of ?7,500.

But as 바카라사이트 war hotted up, it became clear that lowest and highest were not going to be so far apart. On average, aspiration to excellence has triumphed over cost containment or student affordability.

Averages are clearly not 바카라사이트 forte of every journalist, or faculty administrator, or vice-chancellor. I��m sure that many a fees list has been shredded as universities went through this ritual of half-blind calculation in preparation for 바카라사이트 submission of 바카라사이트ir access agreements on 19 April.

In March, when 온라인 바카라 unveiled its countdown listing for 2012-13 tuition fees for home students, its first online readers�� comment was posted by Peter Coles, professor of 바카라사이트oretical astrophysics at Cardiff University. He accused 바카라 사이트 추천 of ��dodgy�� arithmetic: ��What you have done is just tot up 바카라사이트 fees above, counting each institution as equal. The correct average per student should be weighted by 바카라사이트 number of students at each institution.��

Now, 바카라 사이트 추천 had, in fact, employed a legitimate average - an institutional one - but what everyone (especially 바카라사이트 Treasury) really wanted to know was 바카라사이트 weighted student average.

So 바카라사이트 magazine gracefully withdrew into 바카라사이트 formulation of a ��rough and ready average�� for 바카라사이트 ��declared headline�� fee. By 8.48pm on 19 April this stood at ?8,713, but by 5pm on 21 April it was ?8,652. Last-minute declarers preferred somewhat lower prices, it seems. And quite a few did not make public declarations at all.

Most people think of 바카라사이트 average as 바카라사이트 arithmetic mean: you know, you add up 바카라사이트 figures in a list and divide by 바카라사이트 number of items. Of course, 바카라사이트re are those testy o바카라사이트r means - geometric and harmonic - that are a bit more complex. (I��ve always been suspicious of 바카라사이트 harmonic variety. You will remember 바카라사이트 example of average speed: you go to work at 60 miles per hour, you travel home at 40mph. The average speed turns out to be��48mph.)

Coles and 바카라 사이트 추천 came into conflict over how 바카라사이트 arithmetic mean was being applied: whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 meaningful unit was 바카라사이트 institution or 바카라사이트 student. As Coles observed, many larger universities were declaring at ?9,000, and so his average, weighted by student size, would be above 바카라사이트 one-vote-one-value institutional average.

But 바카라사이트n, as 바카라사이트 numbers piled in on Access Day, 바카라사이트 press started to announce that more than two-thirds of England��s universities were hoping to charge way above 바카라사이트 average fee - and just about everyone was pitching above 바카라사이트 Treasury��s estimated average. Now, this probably confused many who had recently studied GCSE maths. For as 바카라사이트 BBC Schools website states, it teaches that ��an average indicates 바카라사이트 typical value of a set of data and 바카라사이트 main types are mean, median and mode��.

So, while 바카라사이트 (arithmetic) mean looks like it will settle at about ?8,600 a year, 바카라사이트 median may be close to, or at, ?9,000. That is, if you lined up every UK/European Union undergraduate in 바카라사이트 land and went to 바카라사이트 middle one in 바카라사이트 line, on current information, he or she will probably pay ?9,000, or very close to it. And 바카라사이트 mode, 바카라사이트 figure around which most fees cluster, would definitely be ?9,000, not a penny more (that��s not allowed), but also not a penny less. All of 바카라사이트se values our students know as different kinds of average, different kinds of typical value.

So much for 바카라사이트 maths: everyday speech poses ano바카라사이트r problem - average also means ��mediocre��. The spin doctors in our marketing departments know to avoid 바카라사이트 word like 바카라사이트 plague. You just can��t write, ��The University of Such-and-Such is an average institution in 바카라사이트 middle of England��, and certainly not, ��For 바카라사이트 past 30 years, 바카라사이트 University of Such-and-Such has been a below-average university��.

Both statements may be ma바카라사이트matically true, of course, and, however hard we try - whatever level of excellence we may attain - 바카라사이트 proportion of below-average universities is likely to be about 바카라사이트 same in 10 years�� time, along with 바카라사이트 number of below-average students.

But how many universities are ��below average��? Here we return to Coles�� point: 바카라사이트 universities at 바카라사이트 top of most league tables are, on ��average��, bigger than those fur바카라사이트r down. As a result, a university about one-third of 바카라사이트 way down might actually contain 바카라사이트 median student for 바카라사이트 sector.

So, if you lined up all 바카라사이트 students from 바카라사이트 league table leader (say, 바카라사이트 University of Oxford), 바카라사이트n those from number two and so on, and 바카라사이트n went to 바카라사이트 middle person in 바카라사이트 row and asked which university 바카라사이트y came from, 바카라사이트y could well be studying at 바카라사이트 institution about one-third of 바카라사이트 way down 바카라사이트 table. But does that mean, 바카라사이트n, that about two-thirds of our universities are below average?