Calculate the Mean: Finding Average Marbles in a 4-Person Data Table

Q: What's the difference between mean and average?

They're the same thing! Mean and average both refer to adding all values and dividing by the count. Some people prefer saying 'mean' in math class.

Q: What if the numbers don't divide evenly?

That's totally normal! Your mean can be a decimal or fraction. For example, if the total was 17 marbles among 4 kids, the mean would be $ \frac{17}{4} = 4.25 $ marbles per child.

Q: Do I need to put the data in order first?

No! Unlike finding the median, you don't need to arrange the numbers when calculating the mean. Just add them up in any order and divide.

Q: How do I know I counted all the data correctly?

Count the number of people or items in your table twice to be sure. In this problem, there are 4 children: Ben, Sarah, Fatima, and Vladimir.

Q: Can the mean be different from all the actual values?

Yes! The mean of 2, 7, 6, and 1 is 4, but none of the children actually has exactly 4 marbles. The mean shows the typical amount if marbles were shared equally.

Finding Mean with Data Tables

Below is a table describing how many marbles a group of children have.

On average, how many marbles does each child have?

❤️ Continue Your Math Journey!

We have hundreds of course questions with personalized recommendations + Account 100% premium

Step-by-step written solution

Follow each step carefully to understand the complete solution

Understand the problem

Below is a table describing how many marbles a group of children have.

On average, how many marbles does each child have?

Step-by-step solution

To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:

Step 1: Identify the number of marbles each child has from the table.
Step 2: Calculate the total number of marbles by adding all the individual counts.
Step 3: Determine the number of children in the group.
Step 4: Use the average formula to compute the average number of marbles per child.

Now, let's work through each step:

Step 1: Identify the number of marbles each child has.
From the table, we have the following information:
Ben has 2 marbles.
Sarah has 7 marbles.
Fatima has 6 marbles.
Vladimir has 1 marble.

Step 2: Calculate the total number of marbles.
Total marbles = $2 + 7 + 6 + 1 = 16$

Step 3: Determine the number of children.
There are 4 children: Ben, Sarah, Fatima, and Vladimir.

Step 4: Use the average formula.
The average number of marbles per child is given by:
$\text{Average} = \frac{16}{4} = 4$

Therefore, the average number of marbles per child is $4$ .

Final Answer

Key Points to Remember

Essential concepts to master this topic

Formula: Mean equals sum of all values divided by count
Technique: Add all marbles: 2+7+6+1=16, then divide by 4 children
Check: Verify 4×4=16 matches the total number of marbles ✓

Common Mistakes

Avoid these frequent errors

Forgetting to divide by the number of data points
Don't just add up all the values and stop there = you get the total, not the average! This gives 16 instead of 4. Always divide the sum by how many items you counted to find the mean.

Practice Quiz

Test your knowledge with interactive questions

Calculate the average of $$ 10 $$ and $$ 12 $$ .

FAQ

Everything you need to know about this question

What's the difference between mean and average?

They're the same thing! Mean and average both refer to adding all values and dividing by the count. Some people prefer saying 'mean' in math class.

What if the numbers don't divide evenly?

That's totally normal! Your mean can be a decimal or fraction. For example, if the total was 17 marbles among 4 kids, the mean would be $\frac{17}{4} = 4.25$ marbles per child.

Do I need to put the data in order first?

No! Unlike finding the median, you don't need to arrange the numbers when calculating the mean. Just add them up in any order and divide.

How do I know I counted all the data correctly?

Count the number of people or items in your table twice to be sure. In this problem, there are 4 children: Ben, Sarah, Fatima, and Vladimir.

Can the mean be different from all the actual values?

Yes! The mean of 2, 7, 6, and 1 is 4, but none of the children actually has exactly 4 marbles. The mean shows the typical amount if marbles were shared equally.

🌟 Unlock Your Math Potential

Get unlimited access to all 18 Data Exploration questions, detailed video solutions, and personalized progress tracking.

📹

Unlimited Video Solutions

Step-by-step explanations for every problem

📊

Progress Analytics

Track your mastery across all topics

🚫

Ad-Free Learning

Focus on math without distractions

No credit card required • Cancel anytime