Average

In math, an average is the middle value of a group of numbers. It’s calculated by adding up all the numbers and then dividing by how many there are. This is also known as the mean. For example, if you have the numbers 2, 3, and 4, you add them together to get 9. Then you divide by 3 (since there are 3 numbers), which equals 3. So, the average, or mean, of 2, 3, and 4 is 3. Basically, finding the average helps us find the typical value in a group of numbers.

Average = Sum of Values/Number of Values

In this article, we’ll explore what average in math, including its symbol, average formula in Maths, and how to calculate the average. We’ll also cover step-by-step instructions for calculating the average, along with several detailed examples.

An Average is a single number expressing a set of data. It is calculated by dividing the sum of the values in the set by their number, also called arithmetic mean. The basic formula for the average of n numbers x₁, x₂,……x_n is 

(Average)A = (x₁ + x₂ + …….. + x_n)/n

Average is the another name of mean and average in mathematics is used for finding and defining various values. In this article, we will learn about the average definition, average formula, average solved examples, and others in detail.

What is Average in Maths?

Average in mathematics is defined as the central value of the given data set. It is the ratio of the sum of all the values by the number of the values. For n terms, its average is given by first taking the sum of n numbers and then dividing them by n.

Average Definition

Average is defined as the value obtained by the dividing the sum of data by the given number of data.

The image below shows three rows of apples with 6, 11, and 7 apples and if we take the average of all three rows then we get 8 apples in each row.

Average Symbol

Average is just the mean of numbers and it is denoted x̄ (read as “x bar”). We also use the Greek letter “μ” to denote the average.

Average Formula in Maths

The average in mathematics is calculated using the formula sum of values divided by the number of values. Hence, the average formula is given as

Average = Sum of Values/Number of Values

For given n numbers x₁, x₂, x₃ ,….., x_n the average is given by the formula,

Average = (x₁ + x₂ + … + x_n)/n

Check: Difference Between Average And Mean

How to Calculate Average?

Study the following steps to find the average of various numbers

Step 1: Note all the observations and find the total number of observations (say n)

Step 2: Find the sum of all observations.

Step 3: Divide the sum obtained in Step 2 by the number of observations (n)

Step 4: Simplify to obtain the required value of Average.

Example: Find the average of 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, and 12.

Solution:

Given values,

• 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 12

Number of Observations = 6

Sum of Observations = 3 + 4 + 7 + 8 + 10 + 12 = 34

Average = 34/6 = 5.67

What is Average Used For?

Average is used to represent a large amount of data with a single number. It helps us find the central value of a data set.

Some practical applications of average are:

1. Calculating the average time of commute to work or school can help you plan your schedule.
2. Calculating the batting average in cricket helps in assessing batsman performance.
3. Calculating average customer reviews before buying new things.
4. Calculating average household income, average unemployment rate, or average inflation rate to understand economic trends.
5. Calculating average daily sales of a product, to stock the right amount.

What is Mean?

Mean in mathematics is the measure of central tendency. It is also called average or arithmetic mean. It is calculated by dividing the sum of values by the total number of values.

There are three types of mean in mathematics that are,

• Arithmetic Mean
• Geometric Mean
• Harmonic Mean

Now let’s learn about them in detail.

Arithmetic Mean

The arithmetic mean is another name for the average. It is the sum of values divided by the number of values. The formula to calculate the arithmetic mean for n values x_1, x_{2, …,} x_n is,

A.M. = (n₁ + n₂ + n₃ + n₄ + … + n_n)/n

Geometric Mean

Geometric Mean is one of the measures of the central tendency. It is calculated by taking the nth root of the product of all the given numbers. The formula to calculate the geometric mean for n values x₁, x₂, …, x_n is,

G.M. = ⁿ√(x₁.x₂…x_n)

Harmonic Mean

The harmonic mean is one of the Pythagorean means other than the Arithmetic Mean and Geometric Mean. It is calculated by dividing the number of the reciprocal by the sum of the reciprocal values. The harmonic mean is always lower as compared to the geometric and arithmetic mean.

The formula to calculate the harmonic mean for n values x₁, x₂, …, x_n is,

H.M. = n/{(1/x₁) + (1/x₂) + … + (1/x_n)}

Average of Negative Numbers

The average of the negative number is simply calculated by taking the sum of the observations divided by the number of the observations. Negative numbers have no effect in finding the average of the negative numbers. This is explained by the example,

Example: Find the average of -8, -4, 0, 4, 8

Solution:

Given,

• -8, -4, 0, 4, 8

Number of Observations = 5

Sum of Observations = (-8) + (-4) + 0 + 4 + 8 = 0

Average = 0/5 = 0

Average of Two Numbers

The average of two numbers is simply the sum of two numbers divided by 2. Suppose we are given two numbers ‘a’ and ‘b’ then their average is calculated as,

Average = (a+b)/2

Example: Find the average value of 80 and 100

Solution:

Given,

• a = 80
• b = 100

Average = (a+b)/2

= (80+100)/2 = 180/2

= 90

Important Formulas on Average

Some of the important tips and tricks to solve average questions are mentioned below. These formulas will help students and will be useful in boards and competitive exams.

Average of first n natural numbers:

• Sum of first n natural numbers = n(n + 1)/2
• Average of first n natural numbers = (n + 1)/2

Average of first n natural number squares,

• Sum of square of first n natural numbers = n(n+1)(2n+1)/6
• Average of square of first n natural numbers = (n+1)(2n+1)/6

Average of first n natural number cubes:

• Sum of cube of first n natural numbers = [n(n+1)/2]²
• Average of cube of first n natural numbers = n[(n+1)/2]²

Average of first n natural odd numbers:

• Sum of first n natural odd numbers = n²
• Average of first n natural odd number = n

Average of first n natural even numbers:

• Sum of first n natural even numbers = n(n+1)
• Average of first n natural even numbers = n + 1

Read More,

• Arithmetic Progression
• Geometric Progression
• Weighted Average

Solved Examples on Averages

Here are some numerical examples on average with solutions. These solved examples will help students understand and practice the concept of average.

Example 1: Find the average of the square of the first 16 natural numbers.

Solution:

Sum of square of first n natural number = n(n+1)(2n+1)/6 

Avg. of square of first n natural number = (n+1)(2n+1)/6 

Average = (16+1)(2×16+1)/6 

= 17 × 33 /6 

= 187/2 

Example 2: The average of 9 observations is 87. If the average of the first five observations is 79 and the average of the next three is 92. Find the 9th observation. 

Solution:

Average of 9 observations = 87 

Sum of 9 observations = 87 × 9 = 783 

Average of first 5 observations = 79 

Sum of first 5 observations = 79 × 5 = 395 

Sum of 6th,7th and 8th = 92 × 3 = 276 

9th number = 783 – 395 – 276 = 112 

Example 3: Five years ago the average of the Husband and wife was 25 years, today the average age of the Husband, wife, and child is 21 years. How old is the child? 

Solution:

H + W = 25 

Sum of ages of both 5 years before = 25×2 = 50 

Today, sum of their ages is = 50 + 5 + 5 = 60 

Today avg. of H + W + C = 21 

Sum of ages of H , W and C = 21×3 = 63 

Age of child = 63 – 60 = 3 years

Example 4: There are 42 students in a hostel. If the number of students increased by 14. The expense of mess increased by Rs 28 per day. While the average expenditure per head decreased by Rs 2. Find the original expenditure.

Solution:

Total students after increment = 42 + 14 = 56 

Let the expenditure of students is A Rs/day. 

Increase in expenditure Rs 28/day. 

Acc. to question 

42A + 28 = 56(A – 2) 

42A + 28 = 56A – 112 

14A = 140 

A = 10 

Hence, the original expenditure of the student was Rs 10/day. 

Example 5: The average of 200 numbers is 96 but it was found that 2 numbers 16 and 43 are mistakenly calculated as 61 and 34. Find his correct average it was also found that the total number is only 190. 

Solution:

Average of 200 numbers = 96 

Sum of 200 numbers = 96 x 200 = 19200 

Two numbers mistakenly calculated as 61 and 34 instead of 16 and 43. 

So, 61 + 34 = 95 

16 + 43 = 59 

Diff = 95 – 59 = 36 

So, Actual sum of 200 numbers = 19200 – 36 = 19164 

Total numbers are also 190 instead of 200

So, correct average = 19164/190 = 100.86

Example 6: A batsman scored 120 runs in his 16th innings due to this his average increased by 5 runs. Find his current average. 

Solution:

Let the average of 15 innings is A

Acc. to question 

15A + 120 = 16(A + 5) 

15A + 120 = 16A + 80 

A = 40 

Hence, current average of the batsman is (40 + 5) = 45 

Example 7: There are three natural numbers if the average of any two numbers is added with the third number 48,40 and 36 will be obtained. Find all the natural numbers. 

Solution:

Let a, b and c are the numbers

Given 

• (a+b)/2 + c = 48

=> a + b + 2c = 96 ………(1) 

(b+c)/2 + a = 40 

=> 2a + b + c = 80 ……….(2) 

(c+a)/2 + b = 36 

=> a + 2b + c = 72 ……….(3) 

Add (1)(2)(3), we get 

4(a + b + c) = 248 

a + b + c = 62 

From 1, 2, and 3

(a+b+c) + c = 96 

62 + c = 96 

• c = 34

a + (a+b+c) = 80 

a + 62 = 80 

• a = 18

b + (a+b+c) = 72 

b + 62 = 72 

• b = 10

Example 8: A biker travels at a speed of 60 km/hr from A to B and returns at a speed of 40 km/hr. What is the average speed of the total journey? 

Solution:

Let a is the distance between A and B

Total distance travel in journey = 2a 

Time to travel from A to B = Distance/speed = a/60 

Time to travel from B to A = Distance/speed = a/40 

Total time of journey = a/60 + a/40 

Average speed = Total distance/Total time 

=2a / (a/60 + a/40) 

=240 × 2a /10a 

= 240/5 

= 48 

Hence, the average speed is 48 km/hr.

Practice Questions on Average

Below are some practice questions of average. Students should try solving these questions and test their skills. Look at the solved examples above, if stuck on a problem.

Q1. Average temp. of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are 31°, and the average temp. of Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are 29.5°. If the temp of Friday is 4/5 times of Monday. Find the temp for Monday.

Q2. The average age of boys in school is 13 years and of girls is 12 years. If the total number of boys is 240, then find the number of girls if the average of school is 12 years 8 months.

Q3. If the runs scored by a batsman in 5 matches are 56, 102, 23, 45, and 78. Find the average run scored by him.

Average – FAQs

What is an Average in Maths?

Average in mathematics is defined as the mean of two numbers. It is used to find the central value of the data set. It is calculated by taking the ratio of all the observation by number of observations.

What is the Formula for Average?

The formula to calculate the average of numbers is,

Average = (Sum of Terms)/ (Number of Terms)

What is Average of First n numbers?

The average of first n natural is calculated below,

Sum of n natural number = n(n + 1)/2

• Average of n natural number = n(n + 1)/2n = (n + 1)/2

What are the three types of Averages?

The three types of average are: mean, median and mode.

Is Average and Mean the Same?

Yes, average in mathematics is similar to the mean in mathematics. It is calculated by dividing the sum of vales by number values.

What is Weighted Average?

Weighted Average is average of the dataset that takes the weight of each data in a dataset

How to Calculate Weighted Average?

We can calculate weighted average by taking sum of product of each data with their weight and then dividing the total weight by total number of data

How Do You Calculate the Average?

To calculate the average of a set of numbers, sum up all the numbers and then divide by the total number of values in the set.

Can Average Be a Decimal?

Yes, the average of a set of numbers can be a decimal, especially when the sum of all numbers in the set is not evenly divisible by the count of numbers.

What is the Difference Between Mean and Average?

In everyday language, mean and average are often used interchangeably. However, in mathematics, the mean specifically refers to the method of finding the average of a set of numbers.

Is Median the Same as Average?

No, the median is different from the average. The median is the middle value in a set of numbers ordered from smallest to largest, while the average is computed by dividing the sum of all numbers by the count of numbers.

How Does the Range Relate to the Average?

The range is the difference between the highest and lowest values in a set, which provides a measure of spread. It does not directly calculate an average but can give context to the average value by indicating how spread out the numbers are.

Why is Calculating the Average Important?

Calculating the average is important for finding the central tendency of a data set, which helps in understanding the general performance or the middle value of the data set.

Can You Have More Than One Mode in a Data Set?

Yes, a data set can have more than one mode if two or more values appear with the same highest frequency. Such a data set is called multimodal.

How Do Outliers Affect the Average?

Outliers can significantly affect the average of a data set by skewing the value higher or lower than the central tendency of the rest of the numbers. This is why median is sometimes preferred over average in skewed distributions.