Content

• Steps
• Advice

This wikiHow article will show you how to find the average of a set of numbers.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Calculate Average Number

1. 

   Sum the numbers in a set of numbers. The first thing to do is to add up all the numbers in the set. For example we have a set of numbers: 1, 2, 3 and 6. Then 1 + 2 + 3 + 6 = 12.

2. 

   
   
   Divide the result by the number of numbers in the set. We see there are 4 different numbers here, so let's sum 12 and divide by 4 to get the mean. 12: 4 = 3. So the average of the set of numbers is 3. Advertise

Part 2 of 2: Calculating Average

1. 

   
   
   Write down the average for each category. Use the average method of adding all the values ​​of the numbers in a set of numbers and dividing by the number of numbers in that population to find the average of each category. For example, you want to find the average of the metrics in your class for the mean (in%) and the percentage for each grade:
   • Average homework score = 93%
   • Average test score = 88%
   • Oral test score = 91%

2. 

   
   
   Write down the percentage of each mean. Remember that the sum of percentages by category should be 100%. For example, the percentages of the grades above are as follows:
   • Homework = 30% of total final grade
   • Test = 50% of total score at the end of the period
   • Oral examination = 20% of total final grade

3. 

   Multiply each mean by the corresponding percentage for that category of scores. Now you just need to convert the percentage to the decimal number and multiply it by the corresponding mean. 30% of total ending points were 0.3, 50% of total ending points was 0.5 and 20% of total ending points was 0.2. Multiply all of these decimals by their respective mean.
   • Homework = 93 x 0.3 = 27.9
   • Test = 88 x 0.5 = 44
   • Oral examination = 91 x 0.2 = 18.2

4. 

   Add up the results. To find the final average, simply add all 3 results above: 27.9 + 44 + 18.2 = 90.1. So the final mean of the 3 groups of scores is 90.1. advertisement

Advice

• Use pen and paper - everything will be a lot easier than it would be.
• Most people use the mean value method when finding the mean.