An average (also known as the mean) is the sum of "x" numbers, divided by "x." Thus, if you have three numbers -- for example, 3, 1 and -3 -- you would add them together and then divide by three. In this case, the average is 1/3. Negative numbers do not change this; they function exactly the same as positive numbers for the purpose of finding the mean. An alternative to finding the average is the median, which is the middle number in a data set.
Instructions
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1
Add together all the data values, be they negative or positive.
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2
Divide the sum by the number of data values to find the average.
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Arrange the data points in sequential order to find the median. The median is the data point that is directly in the middle of the set. For example, if you have -3, -2 and 0, the median would be -2.