> Dale:
>
> The people who've been posting on this subject presumably have
> engineering degrees, yet they haven't been able to explain the filter
> clearly enough for you to understand.  Don't wish for a degree; it'll
> only make you part of the problem.
>
> Here's how the filter works:
>
> You want to average a series of values.  As you learned in grade
> school, this is accomplished by adding up the values, then dividing
> the sum by the number of values in the series.  For example:
>
>     Given the 8-element series 3, 5, 7, 1, 8, 4, 2, 2:
>     3 + 5 + 7 + 1 + 4 + 2 + 2 = 24.
>     24/8 = 3, so the average (or "mean") is 3.

Andy, I liked your explanation of how this filter works.  I'd never thought
of it in quite those terms before.

However, "mean" is ***NOT*** "average".  I noticed that whenever you said
"mean" in your description, you really meant "average".  You may understand
the distinction, but this can be a source of confusion for many people.
Sorry to make such a big deal of it, but I don't want high school students
listening in to learn it the wrong way or get confused.


********************************************************************
Olin Lathrop, embedded systems consultant in Littleton Massachusetts
(978) 742-9014, olin@embedinc.com, http://www.embedinc.com

--
http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic:
[PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads