weighted averages
Importance-adjusted calculations
Weighted averages are averages where some values count more than others.
In a simple average, all items contribute equally; in a weighted average, each item is multiplied by a factor reflecting its importance or frequency.
A student's GPA is a weighted average—a grade in a four-credit course counts twice as much as one in a two-credit course.
The index is a weighted average of stock prices, with larger companies having more influence.
Average, or spiteful
- medianCentral sorted value
- modeWay or method
- standard deviationSpread around the mean
- varianceSpread around the mean
arithmetic mean · geometric mean · normal distribution · bell curve · z-score · correlation coefficient · probability · sample size
Fixed method or notation
- coefficientsNumerical multipliers in expressions
- multiplierNumber that scales another
- summationAdding to find total
- proportionComparative relation of parts
ratio · percentage · spreadsheet · pivot table · algorithm · normalization · aggregation · computation
Evaluation criteria set
- GPACumulative academic score
- letter gradeAlphabetic academic score
- final gradeCumulative course assessment
- assessmentFormal evaluation of worth
assignments · exams · participation · extra credit · credit hours · grade points · class rank · transcript
Collected works or assets
- diversificationExpanding into varied areas
- asset allocationDistributing investments strategically
- returnsProfits from investments
- index fundInvestment matching market benchmark
market capitalization · rebalancing · benchmark · holdings · yield · capital gains · portfolio management
Systematic opinion gathering
- samplingExtracting subset for study
- response rateProportion who answer
- representative sampleSubset mirroring larger group
- stratificationDivision into distinct levels
population · respondents · margin of error · oversampling · underrepresentation · opinion polls · census · exit polls
mean
Average, or spiteful
- medianCentral sorted value
- modeWay or method
- standard deviationSpread around the mean
variance · arithmetic mean · geometric mean · normal distribution · bell curve · z-score · correlation coefficient · probability · sample size · histogram
formula
Fixed method or notation
- coefficientsNumerical multipliers in expressions
- multiplierNumber that scales another
- summationAdding to find total
proportion · ratio · percentage · spreadsheet · pivot table · algorithm · normalization · aggregation · computation · contribution
rubric
Evaluation criteria set
- GPACumulative academic score
- letter gradeAlphabetic academic score
- final gradeCumulative course assessment
assessment · assignments · exams · participation · extra credit · credit hours · grade points · class rank · transcript
portfolio
Collected works or assets
- diversificationExpanding into varied areas
- asset allocationDistributing investments strategically
- returnsProfits from investments
index fund · market capitalization · rebalancing · benchmark · holdings · yield · capital gains · portfolio management
polling
Systematic opinion gathering
- samplingExtracting subset for study
- response rateProportion who answer
- representative sampleSubset mirroring larger group
stratification · population · respondents · margin of error · oversampling · underrepresentation · opinion polls · census · exit polls · sample bias