Mean as a Balance Point

~12 min · 6th grade

Sam the Student Reporter

Your school is measuring how many books students read per month. You need to summarize the data for the school board — one number that represents the whole class.

Find the mean by thinking of it as the balance point of a number line.

Real world: Averages appear in test scores, sports statistics, weather data, stock prices — everywhere a single number needs to represent a group.

BUILD IT

Each dot is a student's book count. Drag the fulcrum (▲) to find the spot where the number line balances perfectly.

Where does the number line balance? (What is the mean of 2, 4, 4, 5, 8, 7?)