Arithmetic Mean
From WikiEducator
This glossary is far from complete. We are constantly adding math terms.
For instructions on adding new terms, please refer to Math Glossary Main Page
| Arithmetic Mean Given n numbers in any order, the arithmetic mean is defined as the sum of these n numbers divided by n. If the n observations are x1, x2, ..., xn, their mean, which we denote by [math]\overline{x}[/math] (and read X-bar), is therefore:
The arithmetic mean can also be written:
When the term "mean" is used without the modifier "arithmetic," it is assumed to refer to the arithmetic mean. |
Examples
Suppose we have a list of the following numbers:
- [math]12,10,13,14,16,18,17\,[/math]
The arithmetic mean is the sum of these numbers, [math]100[/math], divided by the total number of entries in the list, [math]7[/math], equal to [math]14.285[/math]
- [math]\overline{x} = \frac{12+10+13+14+16+18+17}{7}=\frac{100}{7}=14.285\,\![/math]
