Q&A for How to Calculate Weighted Average

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  • Question
    How do I find a weighted average?
    Mario Banuelos, PhD
    Associate Professor of Mathematics
    Mario Banuelos is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at California State University, Fresno. With over eight years of teaching experience, Mario specializes in mathematical biology, optimization, statistical models for genome evolution, and data science. Mario holds a BA in Mathematics from California State University, Fresno, and a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University of California, Merced. Mario has taught at both the high school and collegiate levels.
    Associate Professor of Mathematics
    Expert Answer
    If you have the numbers 3, 5, and 10, to take a normal average, it would be 3+5+10, divided by the total number of data points—in this case 3. For a weighted average, you'd multiply each number by its weight first. For instance, if the first number is twice as important, it would have a weight of 2, while the others would have a weight of 1. In that case, it would be (3x2)+(5x1)+(10x1). Then, divide that by 3.
  • Question
    I scored a 50 and a 70 on 2 tests worth 50% each. I scored 100 on 2 homeworks worth 25% each, and 7 on a quiz worth 25%. What would be my grade average?
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    In this case, your weights add up to 1.75, or 175%. To find your score, first add up the individual scores multiplied by their weights: 50(.5) + 70(.5) + 100(.25) + 100(.25) + 7(.25) = 111.75. Then, divide the result by the total weight: 111.75/1.75 = 63.86. This means your grade average in the class is 63.86, which you can round up to 64.
  • Question
    What is the formula for the average of scores?
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    That depends on whether the total weights of the scores add up to 100%. If so, then you would multiply each score (x) by its percentage of the total grade (w) and add them all up. So the formula would look like x1(w1) + x2(w2), etc. If it's possible to achieve a total score that is greater or less than 100%, you'd have to divide the sum of all scores(weights) by the total possible weight.
  • Question
    If 10 students got an average of 80 and 15 students got an average of 60, what is the average score of the whole class?
    Top Answerer
    Multiply 10 by 80 (800). Multiply 15 by 60 (900). Add 800 and 900 (1700). Divide 1700 by 25 (10 + 15). That equals 68, the class average.
  • Question
    How can I calculate the weighted average of 21.5 and 60?
    Top Answerer
    You must know the relative "weight" (or importance) of those two numbers before you can calculate their average. For example, if those two numbers were test scores, you would have to know how much importance ("weight") the teacher has assigned to each test. You then multiply the weight (usually given as a percentage) of each test by its score, add the two "weighted" scores together, and divide by the number of scores (in this case, two).
  • Question
    Helene invested $15,000 on January 1 in a partnership. She withdrew $2000 on June 1, withdrew a further $1500 on August 1, and reinvested $4000 on November 1. What was her average?
    Top Answerer
    Multiply $15,000 by 5 (months). To that product add the product of $13,000 and 2 (months). To that sum add the product of $11,500 and 3 (months). To that sum add the product of $$15,500 and 2 (months) (assuming you're considering a full year through the end of December). Then divide this final sum by 12 to find the monthly average for the year. Thus: [($15,000 x 5) + ($13,000 x 2) + ($11,500 x 3) + ($15,500 x 2)] ÷ 12 = ($75,000 + $26,000 + $34,500 + $31,000) ÷ 12 = $166,500 ÷ 12 = $13,875 (the average balance during the year).
  • Question
    I have 82 calls, 79 were answered in :38 sec(avg) , 3 were answered in :00 seconds(avg). How would I calculate the weighted average of this?
    Community Answer
    You'd expect the answer to be a little less than 38 seconds, since the 3 instantaneous answers hould bring the average down. Here is the equation: (79 x 38) + (3 x 0) = 3002. Divide by 82 to get the weighted average: 3002/82 = 36.1.
  • Question
    How do I calculate water mass?
    Top Answerer
    Calculate the volume of the water, then multiply by the density of water (one gram per milliliter or cubic centimeter at normal pressure and room temperature).
  • Question
    How do negatives value in weighted scores?
    Top Answerer
    You would algebraically add the negative score(s) to the positive score(s), and divide by the total number of scores (both positive and negative). Algebraically adding negative numbers means simply subtracting. If the scores are weighted, you would multiply each score by its weighting (expressed as a percentage) before adding or subtracting the score.
  • Question
    How do I know my weight is proportional to my body figure?
    Community Answer
    Just use a BMI calculator, which can be found online.
  • Question
    How do I come up with the values of the weights?
    Top Answerer
    The values would be provided for you, or in some cases you might have to measure them for yourself.
  • Question
    How do I do the weighted mean in a survey if there are four options (strongly agree 4, agree 3, disagree 2, strongly disagree 1). Will I divide it into 10 or the number of the respondents (e.g. 100)?
    Top Answerer
    Assuming each response is given equal weight (as is the case in most surveys), there would be no weighted average in this case.
  • Question
    How do I assign weights to a value?
    Top Answerer
    Multiply the value by the number of times it occurs in a given data set. Do the same for every different value that occurs.
  • Question
    If I get a 79 on 2 homework assignments and each one is weighted 35%, what is the overall grade?
    Top Answerer
    It depends on the grades and weighting given to the other assignments.
  • Question
    How do I find the weighted average of money?
    Top Answerer
    There's really no such thing as a weighted average when it comes to money. You would simply have various quantities of bills and/or coins of different denominations, while a weighted average wouldn't really make much sense. (You'd be saying after counting all the money that the average bill or coin was worth, say, $3.47).
  • Question
    How do I find the probability of a team winning any single game in a season using the average number of games won over the last three seasons?
    Community Answer
    Divide the total number of games played by the number of games won for a good estimate of the probability. If you want to know how accurate this is, then you need to use statistics.
  • Question
    How would I work this problem backwards to determine the weight values?
    Community Answer
    This problem is solvable for two weights, but no more. You should set up the usual weighted average equation like (aA + bB)/(a+b) = M, where a is the weight of A and b is the weight of B, and the weighted average M is between A and B. Since there are two unknowns in one equation, you can't solve it for weights a or b, but you can solve it for the ratio a/b. Algebraically manipulate the equation until it looks like a(A-M) + b(B-M) = 0, and from there, a(A-M) = b(B-M) and a/b = (M-B)/(A-M).
  • Question
    How do I calculate the formula for a weighted average?
    Community Answer
    The simple formula to calculate weighted average is: =SUMPRODUCT(Column 1,Column 2) /SUM(Column 2). Dividing the sum product by sum of Column 1 entries will give weighted average for Column 2.
  • Question
    A math class of students took a major exam. 10 students had an average score of 80. The other students had an average score of 60. What is the average score of the whole class?
    Top Answerer
    You can't answer this without knowing how many "other" students there were.
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