Q&A for How to Calculate the Mean

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What do I do if my mean/average has a remainder?

Donagan

Top Answerer

Convert the remainder to a decimal or fraction. For example: the average of 5, 12, and 17 is 34 ÷ 3, which is 11 with a remainder of 1. Convert the remainder to the fraction 1/3 or the decimal .33. Thus, the average is 11-1/3 or 11.33.

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How do I calculate the mode?

Community Answer

It is the number in a set which appears most often. In the set {1 7 9 0 4 5 4}, 4 is the mode.

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How do I find the range?

Donagan

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The range of a data set is the difference between the largest number and the smallest number in the set.

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What if there's a remainder?

Community Answer

That's fine. A mean does not have to be a whole number.

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How do you find the mean with negative numbers?

Donagan

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Add them algebraically, and divide by the number of numbers.

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Question

How do I calculate the mean of 45, 12, 15, 92 and 61?

Community Answer

Add them all together and divide the answer by five (since there are five numbers).

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How do I find the median?

Community Answer

Add the highest number and the lowest number and divide by two.

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Question

Can a mean be a decimal point?

Donagan

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Yes.

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Does this work for all numbers?

Donagan

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It works for all rational numbers.

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Question

Is there an easier way to calculate with large groups of big numbers?

Donagan

Top Answerer

No, the only way to find an exact mean is to add all the numbers together and then divide by the number of numbers. If you don't need an exact mean, you could make a quick estimate.

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Can the mean be negative?

Bat 🦇

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If some of the numbers in the set are negative, then the mean can surely be negative.

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Do I count the number 0 in a group of numbers when calculating the mean?

Bat 🦇

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Yes, as it is still relevant to finding the average. For example, the mean of 1, 4, 0, and 6 is 2.75. This can be calculated by adding all four numbers and dividing by the number of values within the group.

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What if I have a remainder?

Donagan

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Instead of using a remainder, keep dividing until you have one or more numbers after the decimal point. That gives you a more easily understood mean.

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What would I normally need to find the mean for?

Donagan

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A mean (or average) tells you the trend or tendency of a set of numbers or data points.

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How do I calculate the mean of two fractions, e.g. 2/5 and 5/6?

Donagan

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Add the fractions and divide by 2. 2/5 + 5/6 = 12/30 + 25/30 = 37/30. 37/30 ÷ 2 = 37/60. That's the mean.

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What does a probability of 1 mean?

Donagan

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A "probability of 1" means that an event will definitely happen.

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How do I calculate the mean of students' paper results?

Donagan

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Add together all the numerical results, and divide by the number of papers.

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Helen did 4 tests and made a total score of 376.What was the mean score?

I_l1ke_gam3s

Community Answer

Divide 376 by 4.

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Question

What is the exact formula for corrected mean?

I_l1ke_gam3s

Community Answer

If you have five numbers, a, b, c, d, and e, the mean is (a + b + c + d + e) / 5.

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How do I round my answer of 22.375 to one decimal place?

I_l1ke_gam3s

Community Answer

22.375 rounds to 22.4. The 7 in the thousandth place is 5 or more, so you raise the 3 to become a 4.

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What is the average of 301, 200, and 319?

I_l1ke_gam3s

Community Answer

301 + 200 + 319 = 501 + 319 = 820. 820/3 = 273 r 1, or write it as 273 1/3, which is 273.3 repeating.

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How do I calculate the median?

Community Answer

See Find the Median of a Set of Numbers .

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How do I find the range?

Community Answer

The range of a set of numbers is the difference between the largest number and the smallest number of the set. Just subtract the smallest number from the largest number.

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Question

How do you calculate an average?

Community Answer

"Average" is the same thing as "mean." Use the process shown above.

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What do I do with the remainder when I do an average and there is a remainder. For example: 1+7+8 is 16 divided by 3 is 5 with the remainder of 1. So what would be the average?

Community Answer

Some means are not whole numbers. In this case the mean is 16/3 or 5 1/3.

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How do you calculate standard deviation?

Community Answer

See Calculate Standard Deviation .

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How do you compute the mean manually with this data: 2, -1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 36, 21, 3, 5, 3, 20, 18, 14, 35, 27, 18?

Community Answer

Add those numbers together and then divide by the number of numbers: the sum is 225. (Don't forget the -1 means to subtract 1.) There are 17 numbers. 225 / 17 = 13.235. (Even though the data points are all whole numbers, the mean does not have to be a whole number.)

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If my data set is 28,32,34,36,42,48, and y, and the mean 1.64 more than 35.5, what is y?

I_l1ke_gam3s

Community Answer

The mean is 35.5 + 1.64 = 37.14. That means (28 + 32 + 34 + 36 + 42 + 48 + y) / 7 = 37.14. So (220 + y) / 7 = 37.14. Then (220 + y) = (7)(37.14) = 259.98. So y = 259.98 - 220 = 39.98.

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If my data set is 28,32,34,36,42,48, and y, and the mean 1.64 more than 35.5, what is y?

Community Answer

The mean is 35.5 +1.64 = 37.14. The number of data points (counting y) is 7. The sum of the data points is the mean multiplied by the number of data points, or (7)(37.14) = 259.98. We also know that the sum of the data points is 28 + 32 + 34 + 36 + 42 + 48 + y = (220 + y). So 220 + y = 259.98. Subtract 220 from both sides of that equation, and y = 39.98. (That's a strange answer, but it's appropriate given the strange condition that the mean is "1.64 more than 35.5.")

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Are there two ways of finding the mean?

Donagan

Top Answerer

No, just one.

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