6.2 Mean average

There are three things that you will learn about in this section:

• finding the mean when given a set of data

• finding the mean from a frequency table

• finding missing data when given the mean.

Figure _unit4.6.2 Figure 20 Below average and mean average

The mean is a good method to use when you want to compare a large set of data, for example:

• the average amount spent by customers in a shop

• the average cost of a house in a certain area

• the average time taken for your chosen breakdown service to get to your car.

The mean average can help us make comparisons between sets of data which can then help you when making a decision.