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Calculate the arithmetic mean (average) of a set of numbers. Enter numbers separated by commas, spaces, or new lines.
The mean (also called arithmetic mean or average) is the most commonly used measure of central tendency. It represents the typical value in a dataset by summing all values and dividing by the count.
Sum divided by count
Middle value when sorted
Most frequent value
Data is roughly symmetric without extreme outliers
Test scores, temperatures, heights, weights of similar items
Data has extreme outliers (use median instead) - e.g., income data
Find the mean of test scores: 85, 90, 78, 92, 88
Step 1: Count the numbers: 5 scores
Step 2: Add them up: 85 + 90 + 78 + 92 + 88 = 433
Step 3: Divide by count: 433 ÷ 5 = 86.6
Mean score = 86.6
In everyday language, 'average' and 'mean' are often used interchangeably. Technically, 'average' can refer to mean, median, or mode, but in most contexts, 'average' means the arithmetic mean.
Outliers (extreme values) can significantly pull the mean toward them. For example, if 5 people earn $50,000 and 1 earns $1,000,000, the mean is $208,333—not representative of typical earnings. The median would be $50,000.
A weighted mean assigns different importance (weights) to different values. For example, if a final exam is worth 40% and homework is 60%, you'd multiply each score by its weight before averaging.
Yes! For example, the mean of 1, 2, and 3 is 2 (whole number), but the mean of 1, 2, 3, and 4 is 2.5 (decimal). The mean represents a mathematical average, not necessarily an actual data point.
The geometric mean multiplies all values and takes the nth root (where n is the count). It's used for growth rates and ratios. For 2 and 8: geometric mean = √(2×8) = √16 = 4.
Calculate it the same way—add all numbers (including negatives) and divide by count. For example: mean of -5, 10, -3, 8 = (-5 + 10 + -3 + 8) ÷ 4 = 10 ÷ 4 = 2.5