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That precision of language is not the way most people would use that word, eg "a single value (such as a mean, mode, or median) that summarizes or represents th
by Laremere 5y ago
That precision of language is not the way most people would use that word, eg "a single value (such as a mean, mode, or median) that summarizes or represents the general significance of a set of unequal values" - https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/average https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/average
"be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you accept from others" - Robustness principle
It's good to be precise when communicating, but in most contexts you shouldn't expect it from others.
- mattkrause 5y agoI understand that some sources say that one can use "average" to mean something other than the mean. My claim, as an actual working[0] scientist who encounters those words a lot, is that nobody really does, outside of "Well, actually the average can be the median or mode too...."-type statements. I'd put describing the mode as "the average" on par with giving someone a tomato and zucchini salad while describing it as "mixed berries." Not technically wrong but.... [0] Well, slacking scientist at the moment, but...
- Nition 5y agoFor the record I was assuming that "average" meant mean in my original comment.