arithmetic mean

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 24, 2026

Quick Summary

The arithmetic mean, often simply called the average, is a fundamental concept in mathematics and statistics. It is calculated by summing a set of numbers and then dividing that sum by the total count of numbers in the set. This value represents a central point around which the numbers in the set are balanced. For instance, if you have the numbers 2, 4, and 6, their arithmetic mean is (2 + 4 + 6) / 3 = 4. The arithmetic mean is widely used to describe a typical value within a dataset.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

mean
The arithmetic mean, denoted x, of a set of n numbers x₁, x₂, …, x_n is defined as the sum of the numbers divided by n:
Read More
The arithmetic mean, denoted x, of a set of n numbers x₁, x₂, …, x_n is defined as the sum of the numbers divided by n:
Read More

statistics
Numerical measures
The mean, often called the average, is computed by adding all the data values for a variable and dividing the sum by the number of data values. The mean is a measure of the central location for the data. The median is another measure of central…
Read More
The mean, often called the average, is computed by adding all the data values for a variable and dividing the sum by the number of data values. The mean is a measure of the central location for the data. The median is another measure of central…
Read More