----- Original Message -----
From: "John Pearson" <xero@CMC.NET>
To: <PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
Sent: Friday, September 12, 2003 1:22 PM
Subject: Re: [PIC:] Mean averaging routine?


> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Andrew Warren" <aiw@CYPRESS.COM>
> To: <PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
> Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2003 6:03 PM
> Subject: Re: [PIC:] Mean averaging routine?
>
>
> > Jim Tellier <PICLIST@mitvma.mit.edu> wrote:
> >
> > > > The arithmetic mean is the sum of a list of numbers, divided by
> > > > the total number of numbers in the list.  The equation you give
> > > > is valid for lists containing one or two numbers, but invalid
> > > > for all others.
> > >
> > > No.  What you describe is the Simple Average of the values.
> >
> >     Jim:
> >
> >     What you call "the simple average" is also known, to people who
> >     studied Mathematics instead of Art, as "the arithmetic mean".
> >
> >     Perhaps if you looked for the term in a dictionary, instead of
> >     on some Scottish travel agent's website, you'd get a better
> >     definition.
> >
> > > See http://www.aboutscotland.com/harmony/prop4.html for a simple
> > > explanation of Arithmetic Mean.
> >
> >     That page uses "the arithmetic mean" as a term -- like "the
> >     Golden Mean" -- that describes artistic proportions. Elsewhere
> >     on that site, the "harmonic mean" and "geometric mean" are also
> >     discussed.
> >
> >     That's not what we're talking about here.
> >
> > > The eqn above *does* use 2 values: a MIN and a MAX, which are both
> > > functions of the entire n-ary dataset.
> >
> >     I can give you examples of datasets about which the "simple
> >     average", the median, and/or the mode express something useful.
> >
> >     For instance:
> >
> >         Simple average:  Overall grade in school, given a list of
> >         individual test grades.
> >
> >         Median:  Average salary, or average house price (half are
> >         above, half are below).
> >
> >         Mode:  "Winner" of a vote or survey.
> >
> >     I can't think of a dataset for which your (min+max)/2 value:
> >
> >         a) is significantly different from the "simple average",
> >         mode, or median, and
> >
> >         b) expresses anything useful about the dataset.
> >
> >     Can you?
> >
> >     -Andy
>
>
> All I know about averages is that: if my hair is on fire and I am standing
> in a bucket of water, I should be okay.
>
Sorry but there is an error in you method.
You are supposed to invert the bucket on your head after your hair catches
fire thenyou should be ok.
:-}}

>
> >
> > === Andrew Warren -- aiw@cypress.com
> > === Principal Design Engineer
> > === Cypress Semiconductor Corporation
> > ===
> > === Opinions expressed above do not
> > === necessarily represent those of
> > === Cypress Semiconductor Corporation
> >
> > --
> > http://www.piclist.com hint: The PICList is archived three different
> > ways.  See http://www.piclist.com/#archives for details.
>
> --
> http://www.piclist.com hint: The PICList is archived three different
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