The mean, often referred to as the average, is a measure of central tendency in statistics. It is calculated by summing all the values in a dataset and then dividing by the number of values.
Step 2: Mathematical Representation
The mean \( \mu \) for a dataset with \( n \) values \( x_1, x_2, \dots, x_n \) is given by:
\[
\mu = \frac{1}{n} \sum_{i=1}^{n} x_i
\]
Step 3: Example Calculation
For example, if you have the dataset \( \{2, 4, 6, 8\} \), the mean is calculated as:
\[
\mu = \frac{2 + 4 + 6 + 8}{4} = \frac{20}{4} = 5
\]
Final Answer
The mean is a measure of central tendency calculated as \( \mu = \frac{1}{n} \sum_{i=1}^{n} x_i \).