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Average

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Intro to Statistics

Definition

The average, or mean, is the sum of a set of values divided by the number of values. It provides a measure of central tendency for the data.

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5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

  1. The formula for calculating the average is $\bar{x} = \frac{\sum x_i}{n}$ where $x_i$ represents each value and $n$ is the number of values.
  2. Average is sensitive to extreme values or outliers, which can skew the result.
  3. In a symmetric distribution, the mean, median, and mode are all equal.
  4. The average can be used for both sample data and population data, but notation differs: $\bar{x}$ for sample mean and $\mu$ for population mean.
  5. Understanding average helps in comparing different sets of data and summarizing datasets.

Review Questions

  • What is the formula to calculate the average?
  • How does an outlier affect the average?
  • In what type of distribution are the mean, median, and mode equal?
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