Calculating the Mean Number of Shirts

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 118 views

Introduction

In statistics, the mean is a measure of central tendency that represents the average value of a dataset. It is calculated by summing up all the values in the dataset and then dividing by the total number of values. In this article, we will calculate the mean number of shirts each person has in a sample of people. We will use a table to represent the data, where the number of shirts is on one axis and the number of people is on the other axis.

The Data

Number of Shirts	Number of People
1	10
2	6
3	8

Calculating the Mean

To calculate the mean, we need to multiply the number of shirts by the number of people for each category, and then sum up these products. We will also multiply the number of people by the number of shirts for each category, and then sum up these products. This will give us the total number of shirts and the total number of people.

Let's calculate the products:

For 1 shirt: 1 x 10 = 10
For 2 shirts: 2 x 6 = 12
For 3 shirts: 3 x 8 = 24

Now, let's sum up these products:

10 + 12 + 24 = 46

This is the total number of shirts.

Next, let's calculate the total number of people:

10 + 6 + 8 = 24

This is the total number of people.

Calculating the Mean Number of Shirts

Now that we have the total number of shirts and the total number of people, we can calculate the mean number of shirts. We will divide the total number of shirts by the total number of people.

Mean = Total number of shirts / Total number of people = 46 / 24 = 1.9167

Rounding the Mean to Two Decimal Places

We are asked to give our answer to two decimal places. Therefore, we will round the mean to two decimal places.

Mean = 1.92

Conclusion

In this article, we calculated the mean number of shirts each person has in a sample of people. We used a table to represent the data and then calculated the products of the number of shirts and the number of people for each category. We then summed up these products to get the total number of shirts and the total number of people. Finally, we calculated the mean number of shirts by dividing the total number of shirts by the total number of people and rounded the answer to two decimal places.

Step-by-Step Solution

Create a table to represent the data.
Multiply the number of shirts by the number of people for each category.
Sum up these products to get the total number of shirts.
Multiply the number of people by the number of shirts for each category.
Sum up these products to get the total number of people.
Calculate the mean number of shirts by dividing the total number of shirts by the total number of people.
Round the answer to two decimal places.

Example Use Case

This problem can be used in real-life scenarios where we need to calculate the average number of items each person has. For example, in a survey, we might ask people how many shirts they own, and then calculate the mean number of shirts to understand the average number of shirts owned by the respondents.

Mathematical Formulation

Let's denote the number of shirts as x and the number of people as y. The mean number of shirts can be calculated as:

Mean = (Σx * y) / Σy

where Σx * y is the sum of the products of the number of shirts and the number of people, and Σy is the sum of the number of people.

Code Implementation

Here is a simple Python code to calculate the mean number of shirts:

def calculate_mean_shirts():
    # Define the data
    shirts = [1, 2, 3]
    people = [10, 6, 8]
# Calculate the products
products = [x * y for x, y in zip(shirts, people)]

# Sum up the products
total_shirts = sum(products)

# Sum up the number of people
total_people = sum(people)

# Calculate the mean
mean = total_shirts / total_people

# Round the answer to two decimal places
mean = round(mean, 2)

return mean

mean_shirts = calculate_mean_shirts()
print("The mean number of shirts is:", mean_shirts)

Q: What is the mean number of shirts?

A: The mean number of shirts is a measure of central tendency that represents the average number of shirts each person has in a sample of people.

Q: How do I calculate the mean number of shirts?

A: To calculate the mean number of shirts, you need to multiply the number of shirts by the number of people for each category, and then sum up these products. You also need to multiply the number of people by the number of shirts for each category, and then sum up these products. This will give you the total number of shirts and the total number of people. Then, you can calculate the mean number of shirts by dividing the total number of shirts by the total number of people.

Q: What is the formula for calculating the mean number of shirts?

A: The formula for calculating the mean number of shirts is:

Mean = (Σx * y) / Σy

where Σx * y is the sum of the products of the number of shirts and the number of people, and Σy is the sum of the number of people.

Q: How do I round the mean number of shirts to two decimal places?

A: To round the mean number of shirts to two decimal places, you can use the round() function in Python, like this:

mean = round(mean, 2)

Q: What is the difference between the mean number of shirts and the median number of shirts?

A: The mean number of shirts is a measure of central tendency that represents the average number of shirts each person has, while the median number of shirts is the middle value of the number of shirts when they are arranged in order. The mean number of shirts is sensitive to extreme values, while the median number of shirts is not.

Q: How do I calculate the median number of shirts?

A: To calculate the median number of shirts, you need to arrange the number of shirts in order and then find the middle value. If there are an even number of values, the median is the average of the two middle values.

Q: Can I use a calculator to calculate the mean number of shirts?

A: Yes, you can use a calculator to calculate the mean number of shirts. Simply enter the values into the calculator and use the mean() function to calculate the mean.

Q: How do I calculate the mean number of shirts using a spreadsheet?

A: To calculate the mean number of shirts using a spreadsheet, you can use the AVERAGE() function, like this:

=AVERAGE(B1:B3)

where B1:B3 is the range of cells containing the number of shirts.

Q: Can I use a programming language to calculate the mean number of shirts?

A: Yes, you can use a programming language such as Python to calculate the mean number of shirts. Here is an example of how to do it:

def calculate_mean_shirts():
    # Define the data
    shirts = [1, 2, 3]
    people = [10, 6, 8]
# Calculate the products
products = [x * y for x, y in zip(shirts, people)]

# Sum up the products
total_shirts = sum(products)

# Sum up the number of people
total_people = sum(people)

# Calculate the mean
mean = total_shirts / total_people

# Round the answer to two decimal places
mean = round(mean, 2)

return mean

mean_shirts = calculate_mean_shirts()
print("The mean number of shirts is:", mean_shirts)

This code defines a function calculate_mean_shirts that calculates the mean number of shirts using the formula above. It then executes the function and prints the result.