What is Average the sum of the elements divided by the number of element?

Answer 1

Yes, that is the definition of average. It is also called the mean.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Mean average is the first average that is taught to people and is called the "Average". They may never learn the other two averages that are used:

• Median Average is the middle element when the elements are listed in numerical order;
• Mode Average is the most frequent element, the element which occurs the most often.

The Mode Average is the only average which can be non-numeric, for example if you survey the preferred drinks at a coffee shop, you may find that most people prefer a Latte; in this case the Mode average would be a Latte and you could say "On average a Latte will be chosen by the customers" meaning that some people won't choose a Latter but the majority will.

The Mode Average can also have more than one value, for example the survey may show that Lattes and Americanos are equally popular.

The Mean Average is affected by extreme values, for example if most workers at a company earn 10,000 a year, but the boss earns 1,000,000 a year, his salary is going to increase the Mean Average (the less workers on 10,000 the greater the increase). The Median average, however, will not be so affected by extreme values (at the ends).

Census data generally uses Median Averages.

An unqualified Average (ie the word "Average" by itself) can be any of the three averages (Mean, Median or Mode), but most people will assume it to be the Mean average; an unscrupulous statistician can use an unqualified Average to put across a point of view that is skewed by the difference between the three averages - they rely on the public thinking that Average means "Mean Average" when they use the "Median Average" or "Mode Average".