By:- Disha Shakya

Harshit Sharma
Itisha Kapoor
Jay Dayal
CONTENTS
Arithmetic Mean
Advantages and disadvantages
Application
Geometric Mean
Advantages and disadvantages
Application
Harmonic Mean
Advantages and disadvantages
Application
Relationship
Arithmetic Mean
The arithmetic mean between two numbers is the
number which when placed between them forms an
arithmetic progression with them.
Thus, if a and b are the given numbers and x their
arithmetic mean, then a ,x , b are in A.P.
x= (a+b)/2

Q. Find the arithmetic mean between 5 and 9 .

Ans. A.M.= (5+9)/2 = 7
ARITHMETIC MEAN

n
x
x i 1 i
n
n = no. of obs. in a sample

N
x x1 x2 ... xN
i 1 i

N N
n = no. of obs. in population
Simple Average for ungrouped (raw)
data:
Example:
Five companies, profit earned (Rs.
Cr.)
15, 20, 10, 35, 32
1
x (15 20 10 35 32) 22.4
5
Grouped (or classified) data
Used for larger data
1

K
x i 1
f i mi
n
K= no. of class intervals
n= total no. of observations
fi= frequency of class interval
mi= mid-point of class interval
Example:

Classes Frequency of Class

Age (years) f
0 --- 5 6
5 --- 10 12
10 ---15 19
15 ---20 3
Find Arithmetic mean for given data.

As the formula for A.M (Group data) = fX/f

Classes Frequency Mid Pointof Class
Age (years) f M fM
0 --- 5 6 2.5 15
5 --- 10 12 7.5 90
10 ---15 19 12.5 237.5
15 ---20 3 17.5 52.5

Total 40 395

Answer. = ( 395/40 = 9.875)

Advantages of Arithmetic Mean
(1) Simple and unique
(2) Based on all the individual values in the data
set
(3) Least affected by minor fluctuations in the
sample size (301 elements in place of 300)
Disadvantages of Arithmetic Mean:
(1) Much affected by extreme values. E.g.,
Incomes A.M. = (50 + 70 + 80 + 1000) / 4 = 300
Application
Making a ladder:- In a ladder the length of each rung
forms an A.P. For example: 50cm, 45cm, 40cm,
A taxi fare:- A taxi ride can cost you a fixed charge. For
example : for the first one kilometer it can cost you
Rs. 12 and the next subsequent kilometers would cost
you Rs. 6 per kilometer.
Theater:- In a theater the arrangement of seats form an
A.P. Example : the first row may have 10 seats and the
second row has 12 seats and the third row 14 seats
 Saving schemes:- When you save some amount of
money in the bank you earn an increment to it.
Example: if you deposit a 1000 rupee and every year you
earn an increment of Rs.50 would make an A.P.

Score in a basketball :- The points you get for 1 shoot is

2 points thus it forms an A.P. For example:2,4,6,8
Geometric Mean
The terms between two given numbers of a G.P. are
called the geometric means between the given
numbers.
For example, in the sequence 5,15,45,135.
15 and 45 are the two geometric means between 5
and 135.
When three numbers form a geometric sequence, the
middle one is called the single geometric mean of the
numbers.
 For example , 5,25,125 form a G.P., therefore 25 is the
geometric mean of 5 and 125.

If G is a geometric mean of two non-zero numbers a

and b , then
a,G,b form a geometric sequence,
So G/a = b/G=> G2 = ab
If a, b, c form a G.P. , then b2 = ac
Geometric mean:
In several business and economic
applications, we deal with quantities that
change over a period of time.
In such cases, the objective is to calculate
avg. rate of change to represent avg. growth
or decline in a data set over a period of time.
In this case, simple average of values does
not provide accurate answer.
 Geometric mean (G.M.) of a set of n
observations is the nth root of their
product.
G.M. =
1
n x1 * x2 * .....xn ( x1 * x2 * ...... * xn ) n

Example: If n=2, x1=4, x2 =8, then G.M. =

(4*8) = 32 = 5.66
Advantages of Geometric Mean:

(i) Because roots are involved in

calculations, G.M. is less affected by
extreme values as compared to A.M.

(ii) Useful in calculating average growth

rates
Disadvantages of Geometric Mean:

(i) Calculations are more complex than

for A.M.
(ii) Not defined for zero or negative nos.
, use growth factors.

Applications:
Useful in constructing index nos.,
average growth rates
Application of G.M.
Proportional Growth:- More appropriate than A.M. ,
both exponential growth(constant proportional
growth) and varying growth, in business the G.M. of
growth rate is known as compound annual growth
rate.

Spectral Flatness:- In signal processing, spectral

flatness, a measure of how flat or spiky a spectrum is,
is defined as the G.M. of the power spectrum to its
arithmetic mean.
 Aspect Ratio:- Used in choosing aspect ratio in film
and video, given two aspect ratios, the G.M. of them
provides a compromise between them,distorting or
cropping both in some sense equally.

Anti reflective coatings:- In optical coatings, where

reflection needs to be minimized between two media
of refractive indices n0 and n2 , the optimum refractive
index n1 of the anti-reflective coating is given by the
G.M.
Harmonic Mean
The H.M. mean between two quantities a and b is
2ab
a+b

Find the harmonic mean between 2 and 3.

Solution:- a=2, b=3
Therefore, H.M.= 2*2*3 = 12/5
2+3
Harmonic Mean (H.M.)
Reciprocal of the A.M. of the reciprocal of
Individual observations.
H.M. =

1 n

1 1 1 1 1 1
( ..... ) ( ..... )
n x1 x 2 xn x1 xn
APPLICATION

Harmonic Mean is generally used to

find the average speed when equal
distances are covered at different
speeds.(When different speed are
covered in the same time than
arithmetic mean is used to determine
the average speed)
Example
A person travels from A to B at 6 kmph and returns at
4 kmph , find the average speed.

Solution:- Average speed:- Harmonic mean of 6 and 4

2*6*4 = 48/10 = 4.8 kmph

6+4
Advantages:
(i) Uses every observation as basis for
calculation as compared to other measure
like median
Disadvantages:
(i) Is not relevant for (-)ve or zero
observations
(ii) Not often used in business applications
(iii) Complicated calculations
Applications:
Computation of average rates of work
or measures whose reciprocal has some
meaning e.g., speed (km/hr)

A.M. >= G.M. >=H.M. = holds for

identical observations data set
Relationship
Relationship Between Arithmetic Mean, Harmonic
Mean, and Geometric Mean of Two Numbers
If GM, AM and HM are the Geometric Mean,
Arithmetic Mean and Harmonic Mean of two positive
numbers respectively, then
(GM)2 = AM HM
 (GM)2 = AM HM
We can say that G.M. is the value that would fall
between A.M. and H.M., and A.M. > G.M. and
G.M.>H.M.

Therefore, A.M.>=G.M.>=H.M.
REFERENCES
www.careerbless.com/aptitude/qa/sequence_series_i
mp.php
www.mathcentre.ac.uk/resources/uploaded/mc-ty-
apgp-2009-1.pdf
Book- ISC MATHEMATICS , S.Chand by O.P.Malhotra
THANKYOU