Question

Which one of the following is true of the mean?

a) observations must be ordered from least to most before calculating the mean
b) equals some whole number
c) one of the less common averages
d) equals the sum of all observations divided by the number of observations

Answer 1

The correct answer is option d: the mean equals the sum of all observations divided by the number of observations. The mean is a commonly used measure of central tendency that can be calculated .

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer is option d: the mean equals the sum of all observations divided by the number of observations. To calculate the mean, you simply add up all of the values in a data set and then divide by how many values there are. For example, if we have a set of numbers like 2, 3, 5, the mean would be (2+3+5)/3 which is 10/3 or approximately 3.33. Observations do not need to be ordered, and the mean is commonly used, unlike what is suggested in option c.

Additionally, the mean does not necessarily have to be a whole number as suggested in option b. For instance, if the set of numbers is 1, 2, 3, the mean is (1+2+3)/3 which equals 2, a whole number; but if the set of numbers is 1, 2, 4, the mean is (1+2+4)/3 which equals 2.33, not a whole number. It is important to note that the mean is a commonly used measure of central tendency, along with the median and mode.