Average Value & Calculation

How many of you have been called average by the teachers in your class or by friends from your sports club? Most of us. So when is this average word used, and what is its meaning? Sometimes, to generalize the information, we obtain an average value to make the calculation easy and understandable. Do you have a fair idea of the average height of students in your class? Or average age? You can, of course, calculate! Let us understand the concept of calculating the average value along with real-life examples.

Learn: Average

What is the Average Value?

The average is the middle value of the given data set and is calculated by adding up all the numbers and dividing the result by the total quantity of figures added. The average value is the numerical value that can show a large quantity of data.

In our daily lives, we come across the average calculation frequently. Sachin Tendulkar’s average runs in his test matches. Average temperature. The average age of the family. Based on the calculation, we can find who lives longer on average: men or women. Or, on average, people who don’t smoke are healthier than those who do. Numerous problems based on the average are asked in our aptitude exams.

How to Calculate the Average Value?

Go through the steps given below to calculate the average value of a given data set.

Step 1: Calculate the sum of all data values

Step 2: Identify the number of data values

Step 3: Now, find the average value by dividing the sum of values by the number of data values

Thus, the obtained value is called the average value of the given data set.

Examples of Average Values

Example 1: Out of 20 marks, you scored 15 in maths, and your friends scored 10 and 5 respectively. The average scores of all three will be the total number of marks all the three scored together, divided by the total number of people that is 3.

So, the Average here becomes (15+10+5)/3, which equals 10. Your marks are above average.

Example 2: A batsman scored runs in seven consecutive matches are given below:

69, 21, 78, 77, 94, 54, 48

Find the average runs scored by the batsman.

Solution:

Given,

69, 21, 78, 77, 94, 54, 48

Step 1: Sum of runs = 69 + 21 + 78 + 77 + 94 + 54 + 48 = 441

Step 2: Number matches = 7

Step 3: Average = 441/7 = 63

Therefore, the average runs scored by the batsman = 63.

Real-life Applications of Average Calculation

The average is used to compile the group of data in a single value, and it is beneficial to check the grouped data in an averaged form. Some of the applications of average value are given below:

• We can calculate the average marks of a particular section and compare it with the average value of the other section of a class whenever it is required to determine the performance of the different sections, such as section A, B, C, etc., within a class, instead of comparing the marks of each student of each section.
  
  
• As we know, it is challenging to compare the income of every citizen with others, and the country’s per capita income is also a comprehensive application of average in daily life. Here, the country’s income is measured through the average income of the country’s citizens and hence, we apply the average of it.
• Another important application of average is finding the average time of a particular task. Suppose you may read in a newspaper that, on average, kids play sports 2 hours per day. We understand from using the term average that not every kid plays 2 hours each day, but some play more and some less. However, we realize from the term average that 2 hours per day is a good indicator of playing sports in general.

Calculate the Average – Practice Problem

A family consists of two grandparents, two parents, and three children. The average age of the grandparents is 65 years, that of the parents is 35 years, and that of the grandchildren is 5 years. What would be the average age of the family?

Important questions with necessary explanations are provided on BYJU’S applications. Learn and enjoy!