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Lesson 4: Averages in the Real World

About 30 minutes — Activity-based lesson

What You Will Learn

This lesson covers:

Batting averages in sports

This section covers the key ideas about batting averages in sports. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

Average temperature and weather

This section covers the key ideas about average temperature and weather. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

Grade point averages (GPA) in school

This section covers the key ideas about grade point averages (gpa) in school. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

When advertisers use averages to mislead

This section covers the key ideas about when advertisers use averages to mislead. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

Check Your Understanding

1. What is a batting average?

Answer: The number of hits divided by the number of times at bat. A .300 average means the player gets a hit about 3 out of every 10 at-bats.

2. What does 'average temperature' for a city mean?

Answer: Usually the mean of the daily high and low, averaged over many years. It helps you know what to expect but does not tell you about extreme days.

3. How might an advertiser misuse averages?

Answer: By cherry-picking which data to average, using the mean instead of the median to inflate numbers, or not mentioning how many people were measured.

4. Why should you always ask 'average of what?' and 'how many?'

Answer: Because an average without context is meaningless. Average income of 10 billionaires vs. 10 teachers gives very different pictures. Context always matters.

Key Takeaways

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Practice Activities

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