Question

The low temperatures for a week in winter were -2° F, -15° F, -7° F, 1° F, -4° F, 5° F, 8° F. What was the average low

Answer 1

Answer: -2 F

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the average, or mean, of a data set, you must first combine all of the values in the set. Since some of these values are negative, it seems more difficult to solve. But it isn't. To find the mean of any data sets, you can find the absolute value of each numerical value. If you combine these regularly, it would be -15, but that is incorrect. The answer is -2 because some of the values may be negative, but you can find the answer easily. Just remember: To find the mean of data sets with negative values, you can find their absolute values, and solve from there. If this does not work for you, then find another solution. But the correct answer is -2 F.