A mean is also referred to as an average mean. It is a method that simplifies working with a wide range of values. Means are commonly used in statistics. It is often used as the base for figuring out much more difficult calculations and statistics. When relating a mean to a population, it can refer to such things as an average age, height, or other numerical statistic of a population. Calculating the mean of that population is not different than calculating any other mean. If you are simply estimating, you do not need the exact calculation. However, you can base your estimation off of the following steps.
Decide on the numbers for which you would like to find an average. There is no set amount of numbers that is required as long it is more than one.
Add all of the numbers together to calculate the sum of the numbers.
Count how many numbers you have selected.
Divide the sum off all the selected numbers by the result in Step 3. This will give you the mean of all the numbers.
References
About the Author
Kim Sarah has been a writer since 2000. Her work has appeared on NECN, WCTR-TV3 and in the "Torch" university newspaper, among other publications. Sarah received a Bachelor of Arts in communications from Worcester State University and a Master of Arts in journalism from Roosevelt University. She is also studying nursing and computer science at Indiana State University.
Photo Credits
statistics image by bilderbox from Fotolia.com