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While it isn't the only kind of average, the mean is the one most people think of when speaking about an average. You can use means for all kinds of useful purposes in your daily life, from calculating the time it takes you to get home from work, to working out how much money you spend in an average week.[2]
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Determine the set of values you want to average. These numbers can be big or small, and there can be as many of them as you want. Just make sure you are using real numbers and not variables. Example: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Add your values together to find the sum. You can use a calculator, by hand, or a spreadsheet application to do so. Example: 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 = 20 {\displaystyle 2+3+4+5+6=20} 2+3+4+5+6=20
Count the number of values in your group. Count all of the numbers added up. Identical values should still be counted, meaning if you have values that repeat in your set, each one still counts in determining your total. Do not include the sum (answer) of all the numbers added up when counting the quantity of the values. Example: 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 make for a total of five values.
Divide the sum of the set by the number of values. The result is the mean (a type of average) of your set. This implies that if each number in your set was the mean, they would add up to the same total. Example: 20 / 5 = 4 {\displaystyle 20/5=4} 20/5=4. Therefore, 4 is the mean of the numbers. You can check your calculations by multiplying the mean by the number of values in the set. In this case, multiply 4 {\displaystyle 4} 4 (the mean) by the 5 {\displaystyle 5} 5 (the number of values in the set) and your result will be 20 {\displaystyle 20} 20 ( 4 ∗ 5 = 20 {\displaystyle 4*5=20} 4*5=20).
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