What is the mean in maths?

Definition

The mean is the average found by adding all the values and dividing by how many there are.

Example

The mean of 4, 8, 12 and 16 is 40 ÷ 4 = 10.

Tip

The mean is a fair share: what each value would be if the total were shared equally.

Practise it

• Learn it visually: Averages and the Mean (interactive lesson)
• Worksheets: Mean, median and mode (Grade 5)
• Online maths practice

Quick check: try these

Work each one out on paper, then tap the question to see the answer.

1. Find the median of 19, 9, 20, 29, 23:

   Answer: 20

2. Find the median of 14, 7, 7, 29, 22:

   Answer: 14

3. Find the median of 1, 12, 1, 25, 14:

   Answer: 12

4. Find the median of 8, 9, 29, 30, 17:

   Answer: 17

Learn it in depth

Mean is part of Mean, Median and Mode for Class 7: notes, formulas, solved examples with every step, common mistakes and ten practice questions with answers. Want a teacher to go through it with you? See Class 7 maths tuition.

Related words

Median and mode