An average sums up a whole set of numbers with one value. Year 6 children meet three kinds — the mean, the median and the mode — and the range, which shows how spread out the numbers are.
What your child will learn
- Find the mean by adding the values and dividing by how many there are
- Find the median by putting the values in order and choosing the middle one
- Find the mode (the most common value) and the range (biggest take away smallest)
Which average?
For 3, 5, 5, 7, 10: the mean is 30 ÷ 5 = 6, the median is the middle value 5, the mode is 5 and the range is 10 − 3 = 7. The mean uses every value, so one very large number can pull it up; the median is not affected.
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. What is the range of 6, 18, 3, 8, 26?
- 26
- 29
- 23
- 8
Show answer
Answer: 23. The range is the biggest take away the smallest: 26 − 3 = 23.
2. What is the mode of 25, 30, 6, 6, 4, 24?
- 6
- 30
- 24
- 25
Show answer
Answer: 6. 6 appears most often, so it is the mode.
3. What is the range of 29, 22, 10, 18, 23?
- 29
- 22
- 39
- 19
Show answer
Answer: 19. The range is the biggest take away the smallest: 29 − 10 = 19.
Tips for grown-ups
- Find the mean of the family’s ages or shoe sizes.
- Record the temperature for a week and find its range.