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A measure of centre for the distribution of a sample of numerical values. The sample mean is the centre of mass of the values in their distribution.
If the n values in a sample are x1, x2, ... , xn, then the sample mean is calculated by adding the values in the sample are then dividing this total by the number of values. In symbols, the sample mean,
, is calculated by 
.
For large samples it is recommended that a calculator or software is used to calculate the mean.
The sample mean is a (sample) statistic and is therefore an estimate of the population mean.
See: mean
Curriculum achievement objectives references
Statistical investigation: Levels (6), (7), (8)
