Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 1: Calculating the arithmetic mean
• Tips

In mathematics, the arithmetic mean is the average that is obtained by adding several numbers and dividing the result by the number of those numbers. This is not the only way to calculate the average, but it is what most people think of when it comes to the average. The arithmetic mean can be useful to you in everyday life for a variety of purposes, from calculating the time to get from work to determining the average cost of money per week.

Steps

Method 1 of 1: Calculating the arithmetic mean

1. 1 Define a set of numbers to calculate the arithmetic mean. The numbers can be large or small, and there can be as many as you like. Most importantly, make sure you are talking about real numbers, not variables.
   • Example: 2,3,4,5,6.
2. 2 Add up all of these numbers to get the total. Use a calculator, spreadsheet, or just write it down by hand if the set of numbers isn't too difficult.
   • Example: ${ displaystyle 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 = 20}$
3. 3 Count how many numbers are on the list. All added numbers are counted (the amount does not need to be included). If some numbers are repeated, then each of them should be counted separately.
   • Example: 2,3,4,5 and 6 make up five numbers in total.
4. 4 Divide the amount by the number of numbers. The result will just be the arithmetic mean for this series. Thus, if each number were the average, then together they would add up to the same amount.
   • Example: ${ displaystyle 20/5 = 4}$... So, 4 is the arithmetic mean of a given series of numbers. You can check the calculations by multiplying the arithmetic mean by the number of numbers in the row. In our example, we multiply ${ displaystyle 4}$ (arithmetic mean) by ${ displaystyle 5}$ (the number of numbers in a row) and we get ${ displaystyle 20}$ (${ displaystyle 4 * 5 = 20}$).

Tips

• Other types of averages are fashion and median. A fashion is a number that is most often repeated in a given row of numbers, and the median is a number in a row where an equal number of numbers are greater than it and an equal number is less. These averages will often differ from the arithmetic mean in the same row of numbers.