The average (mean) is the sum of all values divided by the number of values.
The average (specifically the arithmetic mean) is a measure of central tendency. It represents a typical value in a dataset. While the mean is the most common type of average, other types include the median (middle value when sorted) and mode (most frequent value). Averages are widely used in statistics, academics (grades), economics (GDP per capita), and everyday life.
The concept of averages dates back to ancient times. The arithmetic mean was known to the Babylonians and used by Greek mathematicians. The term "average" comes from the Arabic word "awar" meaning damaged goods, as it was used in medieval maritime commerce to distribute losses evenly among ship owners. Modern statistical theory of averages was developed by Francis Galton and Karl Pearson in the 19th century.