In mathematics and statistics, the mean is a measure of central tendency that refers to the average of a set of values. It is used to summarize a given group of data and to better understand the overall value of a given data set. There are several types of mean, including:
-
Arithmetic Mean: This is the most commonly used mean, and it is calculated by adding up all the numbers in a set and dividing the total by the number of numbers.
-
Geometric Mean: This is calculated by multiplying all the numbers in a dataset and then taking the nth root of the product, where n is the total number of values in the dataset.
-
Harmonic Mean: This is calculated by taking the reciprocal of each number in a dataset, finding the arithmetic mean of those reciprocals, and then taking the reciprocal of that result.
The mean is a valuable statistical measurement that tells you what the expected outcome is when comparing all data points together. Although it doesn’t guarantee future results, the mean helps set the expectation of a future outcome based on what already has happened.