How to Calculate the Arithmetic Mean

A mathematical concept that usually is taught in elementary school, the arithmetic mean gives an average measurement for a given set of numbers. Being able to find a mean is very useful in everyday activities, such as figuring grades, setting a budget, calculating a business' financial output or determining an athlete's performance statistics.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil or pen
• Paper
• Calculator

Instructions

1. Write down the numbers for which you want to determine a mean. For instance, you might make a list of your electric bills for the past six months.

2. Add the numbers in the set that you wrote down in step one. For instance, you might add the following monetary values representing your electric bills:

   120 + 150 + 135 + 100 + 90 + 125 = 720

3. Divide your answer from step two by the number of values in your set. Since you had six values in this set, you would perform the following equation to find the mean:

   720 / 6 = 120.

   Therefore, your average monthly electric bill would be 120 dollars.

References

• Investopedia: Arithmetic Mean