Results of an annual survey of 2,000 people in one city.
| Age group | 2020 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| 13-19 | 4.1 | 5.6 |
| 20-39 | 3.8 | 4.9 |
| 40-59 | 2.5 | 3.7 |
| 60 and over | 1.2 | 2.8 |
All figures are hours per day, rounded to one decimal place. Time spent on work computers or on television was not counted.
某城市每年一次、共 2,000 人的調查結果。
| 年齡組 | 2020 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| 13-19 | 4.1 | 5.6 |
| 20-39 | 3.8 | 4.9 |
| 40-59 | 2.5 | 3.7 |
| 60 歲以上 | 1.2 | 2.8 |
所有數字皆為每日小時數，四捨五入至小數點後一位。使用公司電腦或看電視的時間均未列入計算。
A town reports that the average income of its households is NT$95,000 a month. That sounds comfortable, yet half the families there earn under NT$48,000.
The reason is simple. An average is pulled upward by a few very large numbers. Ten ordinary households and one millionaire can produce an average that describes nobody in the street.
Careful reporters therefore give a second figure, the middle value, which splits the group into two equal halves. When the two numbers sit far apart, something unusual is hiding in the data, and a chart with a single bar will never show it.
某個城鎮公布，當地家庭的平均月收入是新台幣 95,000 元。這聽起來相當寬裕，然而那裡有一半的家庭月收入不到 48,000 元。
原因很簡單。平均值會被少數幾個極大的數字往上拉。十戶普通人家加上一位百萬富翁，就能算出一個誰也不符合的平均數。
因此謹慎的記者會再給一個數字，也就是把群體分成相等兩半的中位數。當這兩個數字相差很遠時，資料裡就藏著不尋常的東西，而只有一根長條的圖表永遠顯示不出來。
Dear Team,
Thank you for the draft report. Before we send it to the board on Friday, three things must change.
First, every chart must show the number of people asked underneath it. Second, please replace the pie chart on page four with a simple table; the slices are too close in size to read. Third, the section on part-time staff mixes two different years, so those figures cannot be compared.
I have booked room 3B for Wednesday at two o'clock. Bring a printed copy — mistakes are easy to miss on a screen.
Regards,
Wendy Kao
各位同仁：
謝謝大家完成報告初稿。在週五送交董事會之前，有三件事必須修改。
第一，每張圖表下方都要標出受訪人數。第二，請把第四頁的圓餅圖換成簡單的表格；那些扇形大小太接近，根本看不出差別。第三，兼職員工那一節混用了兩個不同年度，那些數字無法比較。
我已預訂週三下午兩點的 3B 會議室。請帶紙本來——在螢幕上看數字很容易漏掉錯誤。
此致
高溫蒂
Six Tuesday evenings, 7:00-8:30 p.m., starting 4 March
Fee: NT$1,800, or NT$1,200 for students and senior citizens. A certificate is given to anyone who attends at least five evenings.
No mathematics beyond junior high school is needed. Bring a laptop if you have one; a few can be borrowed at the desk. Places are limited to twenty-five, so please book early.
連續六個週二晚間，晚上 7:00 至 8:30，3 月 4 日開課
費用：新台幣 1,800 元；學生與年長者為 1,200 元。出席滿五個晚上者可獲得結業證書。
不需要國中以上的數學程度。有筆記型電腦請自行攜帶；櫃檯備有少量可供借用。名額限二十五人，請及早報名。