Difference Between Average and Mean

To understand the difference between average and mean, one must be aware of what separates one from the other. Average and mean are used interchangeably. In Statistics, instead of the term “average”, the term “mean” is used.

Average can simply be defined as a quantity or a rate which usually fall under the centre of the data. The average is quite similar to mean but also has its key differences from mean as well. If one can understand the arithmetic mean and range, it can be incredibly helpful in understanding and solving math topics.

Average and mean are usually confused with one another as both the mathematical terms are used to explain the set of numbers. Mean can simply be calculated by adding the set of values and divided by the number of quantities. Thus, this is the core definition of what mean is. You can find the tabular column below to learn the difference between the average and mean.

Average

• Average can simply be defined as the sum of all the numbers divided by the total number of values.
• Average is usually present as mean or arithmetic mean.
• Average can be calculated for any discrete numbers where it assumes uniform distribution.
• The arithmetic mean is considered as a form of average.
• Average is usually used in conversations in general day to day English.
• The average is capable of giving us the median and the mode.

Mean

• Mean on the other hand is the result of the addition of the largest and smallest numbers in the set and dividing them by 2
• Mean is simply a method of describing the average of the sample.
• It is mainly used in Statistics, and it is applied for any distribution such as geometric, binomial, Poisson distribution, and so on.
• There are various types of mean.
• Mean is used in a more technical and mathematical sense.
• Mean, on the other hand, cannot give us the median or mode.