How to use this average calculator
- Average: type or paste your numbers into the box. Use commas, spaces, semicolons, tabs or new lines between them, so a column copied from Excel or Google Sheets works as it is. Anything that isn't a number is skipped and listed under the results.
- Weighted average: enter each value with its weight, for example a grade and how much it counts. Empty rows are ignored.
- Time average: enter times as hours, minutes and seconds, such as lap times or call lengths, to get the average and the total.
Results update as you type, and nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere.
How to calculate the average (mean)
Add all the numbers together, then divide by how many numbers there are:
Mean = Sum of values ÷ Number of values
Worked example: 10, 2, 38, 23, 38, 23 and 21 add up to 155. There are 7 numbers, so the mean is 155 ÷ 7 ≈ 22.142857.
Sorted, the list is 2, 10, 21, 23, 23, 38, 38. The middle value, the median, is 23. Both 23 and 38 appear twice, so there are two modes, and the range is 38 − 2 = 36.
Mean vs median vs mode
All three describe a “typical” value, but in different ways:
- Mean uses every value, so it is the best choice when the numbers are fairly evenly spread, like daily temperatures or test scores in a class.
- Median is the middle value once the list is sorted. It ignores how extreme the highest and lowest values are, which makes it better for things like salaries or house prices.
- Mode is the most common value. It is useful for things you count rather than measure, such as the most popular shoe size.
For example, five salaries of $40,000, $45,000, $50,000, $55,000 and $400,000 have a mean of $118,000, which describes nobody on the list. The median, $50,000, is a much fairer picture of a typical salary.
How to calculate a weighted average
A weighted average gives some values more influence than others. Multiply each value by its weight, add the results, and divide by the total weight:
Weighted average = Σ(value × weight) ÷ Σ(weight)
Worked example: a project scored 90 and is worth 50% of the grade, a test scored 80 and is worth 30%, and homework scored 70 and is worth 20%.
(90 × 50 + 80 × 30 + 70 × 20) ÷ 100 = 8,300 ÷ 100 = 83. The simple average of the three scores would be 80.
Use a weighted average whenever the items aren't equally important: grades with different weights, prices bought in different quantities, or results from groups of different sizes. The weights don't need to add up to 100.
How to average percentages correctly
Averaging percentages directly only works when each one comes from the same total. Suppose you scored 18 out of 20 (90%) on one quiz and 30 out of 50 (60%) on another. The simple average of 90% and 60% is 75%, but you actually scored 48 out of 70, which is about 68.57%. The bigger quiz should count for more. Use the weighted average tab with the percentages as values and the totals (20 and 50) as weights, and you get the right answer: (90 × 20 + 60 × 50) ÷ 70 ≈ 68.57.
How to average times
Times can't be averaged digit by digit, because there are 60 seconds in a minute, not 100. Convert each time to seconds, find the mean, then convert back. For 1:30:00, 2:15:00 and 3:00:00, the total is 6 hours 45 minutes (24,300 seconds), and 24,300 ÷ 3 = 8,100 seconds, which is 2:15:00. The Time average tab does all of this for you, and seconds can include decimals for lap times.
Frequently asked questions
Is the average the same as the mean?
In everyday use, yes. When people say average they usually mean the arithmetic mean: add the numbers up and divide by how many there are. The median and mode are other kinds of average that describe the middle and the most common value.
How do I find the median of an even number of values?
Sort the numbers and take the average of the two in the middle. For 1, 2, 3 and 4 the middle values are 2 and 3, so the median is 2.5.
Can there be more than one mode?
Yes. If two or more values share the highest count, they are all modes. In 10, 2, 38, 23, 38, 23 and 21, both 23 and 38 appear twice, so there are two modes. If every value appears only once, there is no mode.
Can I paste numbers from Excel or Google Sheets?
Yes. Copy a column or row and paste it into the box. Numbers can be separated by new lines, tabs, spaces, commas or semicolons. Leave out thousands separators: write 1500 rather than 1,500, because a comma is read as a separator between numbers.
When should I use a weighted average?
Use it when some values count more than others: grades with different weights, prices bought in different quantities, or percentages based on different totals. A simple average would treat every value as equally important.
How do I average lap times or run times?
Convert each time to seconds, add them up and divide by how many there are, then convert back to hours, minutes and seconds. The Time average tab does this for you and also shows the total time.