Three Middles

Someone's quoting 'the average' to make a point. Pick which middle — mean, median or mode — tells the truth, and call out the spin.

How to play

Each round shows a small dataset and a claim that quotes one measure of center. Decide which of mean, median or mode is the honest summary for that data, then judge whether the report's claim is misleading. Skewed data and outliers make the mean a liar more often than you'd expect. Both answers together earn the round.

• A game runs six rounds with a running score.
• Skewed datasets reward the median; the mean gets dragged by outliers.
• A fast finish earns a small speed bonus.

Controls

• Desktop: click a measure and a Misleading/Fair verdict, or use keys 1/2/3, Y/N and Enter.
• Phone & tablet: tap the measure and verdict buttons — fully touch-friendly.

Game modes

• Daily and Practice modes, each in Easy, Medium or Hard difficulty.

Tips & strategy

• If a few huge values stretch one tail, distrust the mean and check the median.
• The mode tells the honest story when one value dominates a count.

What you'll learn

Three Middles is about how mean, median and mode can each be used to spin the same numbers.

• Skills: mean, median, mode, data literacy, misleading statistics
• Best for: roughly grades 6–11 (ages 11–16)
• For parents & teachers: the three averages and how they mislead.

About Three Middles

Three Middles is a data-literacy game about how mean, median and mode can each be used to spin the same numbers. It's an original free browser game built for PlayPendium.

A free, original browser game on PlayPendium — no download, no install. Browse all games →