Average temperatures in Paris since 1900
Submitted by Camille Démo ✓, Collège Jean-Moulin, Paris · published on September 17, 2026
Calculate the mean, median and range of a series of annual temperatures, then interpret the trend.
Exercise
The table below gives the average annual temperature recorded at the Paris-Montsouris weather station for several years.
| Year | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature (°C) | 11.1 | 11.4 | 11.2 | 11.6 | 11.9 | 12.7 | 13.4 |
Calculate the mean temperature of this series.
Find the median.
Calculate the range.
What can you say about how temperatures have changed? Justify your answer with the values you calculated.
Show the answer key
Mean = (11.1 + 11.4 + 11.2 + 11.6 + 11.9 + 12.7 + 13.4) / 7 ≈ 11.9 °C
Ordered series: 11.1; 11.2; 11.4; 11.6; 11.9; 12.7; 13.4 → median = 11.6 °C
Range = 13.4 − 11.1 = 2.3 °C
The recent values are well above the mean: the trend is towards warming.
Show the 2 quiz questions
Multiple-choice questions about the climate topic of this exercise. Mark the exercise as done with a class to add them to that class's quiz.
By how much has the average temperature of the planet risen since the end of the 19th century?
- A. About 0.1 °C
- B. About 1.2 °C ✓
- C. About 5 °C
- D. It has not changed
What is the difference between weather and climate?
- A. There is none
- B. Weather describes conditions over a few days, climate describes averages over at least 30 years ✓
- C. Climate is only about temperature
- D. Weather is only about rain
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