Average calculator
Type or paste a list of numbers, separated by commas, spaces or new lines, and read their mean, median, mode and range. Under the answer, the sum and the count show how the mean was found.
The mean is the sum divided by the count: 108 ÷ 6 = 18.
How it works
The calculator reads every number in the box and sorts the list. The mean, which most people call the average, is the sum divided by the count. The median is the middle number of the sorted list, or the mean of the two middle ones when the count is even. The mode is the number that appears most often, and the range is the largest number less the smallest.
Commas, spaces, semicolons and new lines all separate numbers, so a column pasted from a spreadsheet works. A minus sign makes a number negative, and a point makes a decimal.
A worked example
For 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42 the sum is 108 and the count is 6, so the mean is 18. The sorted list has 15 and 16 in the middle, so the median is 15.5. No number repeats, so there is no mode, and the range is 42 less 4, or 38.
For 1, 2, 2, 3, 3 and 4 the mean and the median are both 2.5, and the modes are 2 and 3.
What the answer shows
Under the figures the calculator writes the working of the mean, such as 108 ÷ 6 = 18, and lists the numbers in order, twenty at most. A list of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 adds to 0.6, with no stray digits.
What it leaves out
The calculator has no weights, so it cannot average grades that count for different amounts. It gives no standard deviation, and it takes at most 5,000 numbers. It does not read a thousands separator, because a comma ends a number.
Questions
How do I find the average of a list of numbers?
Add the numbers and divide the sum by how many there are. For 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42 the sum is 108, there are 6 numbers, and 108 divided by 6 is 18.
What is the difference between the mean, the median and the mode?
The mean is the sum divided by the count. The median is the middle number once the list is in order, and the mode is the number that appears most often. For 90, 85.5, 70, 85.5 and 100 they are 86.2, 85.5 and 85.5.
What is the median when the count is even?
The mean of the two middle numbers. For 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42 the middle ones are 15 and 16, so the median is 15.5.
What if two numbers tie for the mode?
The calculator lists both, so 1, 2, 2, 3, 3 and 4 have the modes 2 and 3, each appearing 2 times. When every number appears once, there is no mode.
How do I enter negative numbers and decimals?
Put a minus sign before a negative number and a point in a decimal, as in -2.5. Do not put a comma inside a number, because commas separate the numbers: 1,000 is read as 1 and 000.
How many numbers can I enter?
Up to 5,000. A piece of text that is not a number stops the answer and is named under the box, so you can find it and fix it.
Published .