Some photographs showing how Cuisenaire rods can be used to calculate the mean. Cuisenaire rods of length 10, 6 and 8 are shown in the first image. Then these are replaced to show three bars of length 6, with four white unit rods added to make 10, and two unit rods to make 8, so that the three totals are still 10, 6 and 8. In the third image the white unit rods are shown to be moving. In the fourth and final image, the white unit rods have been share equally so that the three rods of length 6 each have two white unit rods, giving three totals of 8. The words “Mean =8” are written next to this final image.

◄ 2.2 Analysing data using measures of central tendency and spread