Points scored per game, Carlos: 10, 6, 9, 3, 12
Points scored per game, Maria: 11, 10, 8, 7
Carlos said "You see, I've scored 10+6+9+3+12 = 40 points this season, and you've only scored 11+10+8+7 = 36 points this season."
Maria said "That's true, but you've played 5 games and I've only played 4 games, so that's not a fair way to count."
"Since Carlos scored a total of 40 points in 5 games, then he has an average of 40/5 = 8 points per game. We divide the total number of points by the number of games played, and that gives us the average."
"I think I see", said Maria. "I scored 36 total points and I played 4 games, so my average would be..."
Let's take another look at how to compute an average: 1. Add the amounts
2. Count the amounts
3. Divide by the number of amounts
Try it out on this one (you may use a calculator if you like):
Jonathon scored 80, 87, 100, and 93 on his tests.
Nancy scored 95, 90, 70, and 85 on her tests.
What is Jonathon's average test score: What is Nancy's average test score:
Cool, huh?