How to Find the Average Arithmetic Mean to a Number Problem
The average, or arithmetic mean, is calculated by adding, or summing, the terms in a set and then dividing by the number of terms. It represents a number that is in the middle of the terms in the set, but not necessarily in the set itself. Other types of means exist, such as geometric and harmonic means. The arithmetic mean is very commonly used in statistics, among other fields.
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Instructions
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Determine the terms for which you need to find the average in the number problem. For example, in the problem "Find the average of the even numbers from 1 to 10," you would have the following set of numbers {2, 4, 6, 8, 10}.
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Add up all of the numbers in the set. In the example, 2 + 4 + 6 + 8 + 10 = 30.
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Divide the sum by the number of terms. In the example, there are 5 terms. 30/5 = 6. Therefore, 6 is the average.
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