To find the mean (also known as the average) of a set of numbers, follow these steps:

1. Add up all the numbers in the set to get the total sum.
2. Count the number of numbers in the set.
3. Divide the total sum by the count of the numbers.

Formula for the Mean

If you have a set of numbers $x_1, x_2, x_3, \ldots, x_n$, the mean $\bar{x}$ is calculated as:

$\bar{x} = \frac{x_1 + x_2 + x_3 + \ldots + x_n}{n}$

where:

• $x_1, x_2, x_3, \ldots, x_n$ are the numbers in the set.
• $n$ is the total number of numbers in the set.

Example

Suppose you have the numbers: 4, 8, 6, 5, 3.

1. Add the numbers: $4 + 8 + 6 + 5 + 3 = 26$.
2. Count the numbers: There are 5 numbers.
3. Divide the sum by the count: $\frac{26}{5} = 5.2$.

So, the mean is 5.2.

Would you like to calculate the mean for a specific set of numbers? If so, please provide the numbers!

Questions to Explore Further:

1. How do you calculate the mean of a dataset with negative numbers?
2. What is the difference between the mean, median, and mode?
3. How does the mean change if all numbers in the dataset are multiplied by a constant?
4. What are some real-life situations where calculating the mean is useful?
5. How do you calculate the weighted mean?

Tip: Always double-check the count of numbers when calculating the mean to avoid errors.