What is the mean of this set of numbers: 4, 6, 7, 9, 2000000?

What is the mean of this set of numbers: 4, 6, 7, 9, 2000000? (a) 7.5

(b) 400,005.2

(c) 7

(d) 4

✅ Correct option: (b) 400,005.2

Explanation:

The mean is calculated by adding all the values in a dataset and dividing the sum by the total number of values. It is also called the arithmetic average. Step 1: Add the values 4 + 6 + 7 + 9 + 2,000,000 = 2,000,026 Step 2: Divide by the number of values 2,000,026 ÷ 5 = 400,005.2 Thus, the mean of the given data set is 400,005.2. This example clearly shows one of the main weaknesses of the mean: it is highly affected by extreme values (outliers). The very large value (2,000,000) pulls the mean upward, making it an unrepresentative measure of central tendency for this dataset. In such situations, the median is usually preferred because it better represents the typical score. Nevertheless, mathematically, the correct mean is 400,005.2.

10 Related PPSC Facts:

Mean is arithmetic average. Mean uses all values. Mean is affected by outliers. Extreme values distort the mean. Mean is used in variance calculation. Mean is sensitive to skewness. Mean equals median in normal distribution. Mean is less reliable in skewed data. Mean is required for z-scores. Mean is widely used in inferential statistics.