Final Answer:
The sample mean of the given data set is 5.50.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the sample mean, add all the values in the data set together: 6 + 7 + 8 + 4 + 1 + 7 = 33. Then, divide the sum by the total number of values in the set, which is 6 in this case. So, 33 ÷ 6 = 5.50. The sample mean represents the average value of the data set. It's obtained by summing all the values and dividing by the total number of values. In this context, the sample mean gives a central value that represents the dataset's average.
The formula for calculating the sample mean is:
, where n represents the number of values in the set and
represents each individual value. By adding up all the values and dividing by the total count, we arrive at the sample mean, which serves as a measure of central tendency in the data set. In this case, the mean of 5.50 signifies that, on average, the values in the data set tend to hover around this central value.
Calculating the sample mean is crucial in statistics as it provides a representative value that summarizes the entire dataset. It's a fundamental measure used to understand the central tendency of a set of numbers, aiding in making informed interpretations and comparisons within the data.