Which is the arithmetic average of a set of scores?

Which is the arithmetic average of a set of scores?

• A. Mean
• B. Median
• C. Mode
• D. Outlier

Answer: (A)

The arithmetic average is the mean, found by summing all scores and dividing by how many scores there are. This measure uses every value, so it represents the overall level of the set and is often what people mean by “average.” For example, with scores 2, 4, 6, 8, the sum is 20 and there are 4 scores, giving an average of 5. Because it incorporates every score, it can be pulled toward very high or very low values (outliers). The median is the middle value when data are ordered, and the mode is the most frequent value, while an outlier is a value far from the rest; those concepts describe different ideas of center or typical value and may not align with the arithmetic average.

The arithmetic average is the mean, found by summing all scores and dividing by how many scores there are. This measure uses every value, so it represents the overall level of the set and is often what people mean by “average.” For example, with scores 2, 4, 6, 8, the sum is 20 and there are 4 scores, giving an average of 5. Because it incorporates every score, it can be pulled toward very high or very low values (outliers). The median is the middle value when data are ordered, and the mode is the most frequent value, while an outlier is a value far from the rest; those concepts describe different ideas of center or typical value and may not align with the arithmetic average.