Calculate the Average: Finding Mean of 15, 0, and 0

Q: Do I really need to count zeros when finding the average?

Yes, absolutely! Zero values are still real data points that affect your average. If you skip them, you're calculating the average of a different set of numbers entirely.

Q: Why isn't the answer 15 since that's the biggest number?

The average isn't the same as the maximum value. Average means we're finding the middle point if all values were spread out equally. Since we have two zeros pulling down the average, 5 makes sense!

Q: How do I remember the average formula?

Think of it as sharing equally: If you had 15 candies to share among 3 people, each person gets $ \frac{15}{3} = 5 $ candies. That's your average!

Q: What if I accidentally add wrong?

Always double-check your addition first! Write it out clearly: 15 + 0 + 0. Since adding zero doesn't change a number, 15 + 0 + 0 = 15.

Q: Can the average be different from all the original numbers?

Absolutely! The average is often a value that wasn't in your original list. Here, none of our numbers (15, 0, 0) equals 5, but that's perfectly normal for averages.

Average Calculation with Zero Values

Calculate the average

of $15$ , $0$ , and $0$ .

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Step-by-step video solution

Watch the teacher solve the problem with clear explanations

00:00 Calculate the average

00:03 To calculate the average, we need to divide the sum by the number of occurrences

00:07 Let's sum up the numbers

00:13 and divide by the number of occurrences (3)

00:30 and this is the solution to the question

Step-by-step written solution

Follow each step carefully to understand the complete solution

Understand the problem

Calculate the average

of $15$ , $0$ , and $0$ .

Step-by-step solution

To solve this problem, we'll calculate the average of the given numbers $15$ , $0$ , and $0$ .

Step 1: Find the sum of the numbers.
$\quad 15 + 0 + 0 = 15$
Step 2: Count the number of terms.
$\quad$ There are 3 terms in total: $15$ , $0$ , and $0$ .
Step 3: Calculate the average using the formula:
$\quad \text{Average} = \frac{\text{Sum of terms}}{\text{Number of terms}} = \frac{15}{3}$
Step 4: Perform the division.
$\quad \frac{15}{3} = 5$

Therefore, the calculated average is $5$ .

Our calculated average $5$ corresponds with the correct answer choice.

Final Answer

Key Points to Remember

Essential concepts to master this topic

Formula: Average equals sum of all numbers divided by count
Technique: Add all values: 15 + 0 + 0 = 15, then divide by 3
Check: Verify count is correct and division gives 15 ÷ 3 = 5 ✓

Common Mistakes

Avoid these frequent errors

Ignoring zero values when counting terms
Don't skip counting zeros just because they're zero = wrong denominator! This makes your average too large since you're dividing by fewer numbers than you actually have. Always count every single value, including all zeros.

Practice Quiz

Test your knowledge with interactive questions

If the balls below are divided so that each column in the table contains an equal number, then how many balls will there be in each column?

FAQ

Everything you need to know about this question

Do I really need to count zeros when finding the average?

Yes, absolutely! Zero values are still real data points that affect your average. If you skip them, you're calculating the average of a different set of numbers entirely.

Why isn't the answer 15 since that's the biggest number?

The average isn't the same as the maximum value. Average means we're finding the middle point if all values were spread out equally. Since we have two zeros pulling down the average, 5 makes sense!

How do I remember the average formula?

Think of it as sharing equally: If you had 15 candies to share among 3 people, each person gets $\frac{15}{3} = 5$ candies. That's your average!

What if I accidentally add wrong?

Always double-check your addition first! Write it out clearly: 15 + 0 + 0. Since adding zero doesn't change a number, 15 + 0 + 0 = 15.

Can the average be different from all the original numbers?

Absolutely! The average is often a value that wasn't in your original list. Here, none of our numbers (15, 0, 0) equals 5, but that's perfectly normal for averages.

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