[RTTY] RE: JARTS Contest and operator age

[Kok Chen]

On Oct 19, 2004, at 10:18 AM, Phil Cooper wrote:
> Actually, the average isn't that meaningful anyway, and one should go 
> by the
> MEAN age, which happened to be reasonably similar for most of us.

Phil, do you mean the "median" age?

"Average" is synonymous with the (unweighted) "mean."  (Sum of samples 
divided by number of samples)

"Median" is when you line up all the samples in ascending order and is 
equal to the value of the sample smack at middle the list.

A nonuniform density function (as is the case with age, whether hams or 
the general baby boomer anomaly) can cause the mean and the median to 
be wildly different.

I suspect that in addition to the 50-59 generation coming off the baby 
boom, there is also some contribution due to being the right age to get 
hooked on radio when the Sputnik craze hit (.... .. .... .. .... ..).

I put the blame on you guys.  Afterall, Sir Bernard Lovell was the one 
who started DX'ing Sputniks at Jodrell Bank :-).

73
Chen, W7AY