Mean — The Average, my best guess of all time !!

“A number around which a whole data is spread out or the expected value in mathematics.”

The word “average” comes from Arabic “awar” which means “defects” or “something partially damaged”.

The Mediterranean world is the first to use the term in sea-commerce around the 12th century. It is used to describe damage, loss or non-normal expenses, a meaning we find in the French word “avarie” today.

Roots of current signification come from merchant-marine law contracts at the end medieval era. During a bad storm, marines had to throw some goods overboard to make the ship lighter and safer. All merchants were to suffer proportionately and more generally there was to be a proportionate distribution of any damage.

From there, the word was adopted by British insurers, creditors, and merchants for talking about their losses as being spread across their whole portfolio of assets and having a mean proportion.

Today’s meaning of average developed out of that and started in the mid-18th century in English.

That’s Enough History 😂

What is Mean?

The mean is a way to find the average of a set of numbers.

How to Calculate Mean

1. Add Up All the Numbers: First, you add together all the numbers in the set.
2. Divide by How Many Numbers There Are: Then, you divide the total sum by the number of numbers you added.

Mean is denoted as x̅ and is read as x bar.

Example

Let’s say you have these numbers: 4, 8, and 6.

1. Add the Numbers: 4+8+6=18
2. Divide by the Number of Numbers: There are 3 numbers, so divide by 3. — 18 / 3 = 6

So, the mean (average) of 4, 8, and 6 is 6.

In One Sentence

The mean is the average of a set of numbers, found by adding them all up and then dividing by how many numbers there are.