Weighted Average Formula:
From: | To: |
A weighted average is an average where some values contribute more than others based on their assigned weights. When weights are expressed as percentages, they represent the relative importance or contribution of each value to the final average.
The calculator uses the weighted average formula:
Where:
Explanation: Each value is multiplied by its weight (converted from percentage to decimal), these products are summed, and then divided by the sum of the weight percentages (converted to decimals).
Details: Weighted averages are crucial in many fields including education (calculating GPA), finance (portfolio returns), statistics, and business analytics where different data points have varying levels of importance.
Tips: Enter values separated by commas in the first field. Enter corresponding weight percentages (also separated by commas) in the second field. The number of values and weights must match. Weights don't need to sum to 100% as the calculator normalizes them.
Q1: What's the difference between weighted average and regular average?
A: A regular average treats all values equally, while a weighted average gives more importance to some values based on their assigned weights.
Q2: Do the weights need to add up to 100%?
A: No, the calculator automatically normalizes the weights, so they can be any percentage values that reflect relative importance.
Q3: Can I use decimal values for weights?
A: Yes, the calculator accepts decimal values for both the data points and weight percentages.
Q4: What happens if I have different numbers of values and weights?
A: The calculator will show an error message asking you to provide equal numbers of values and weights.
Q5: In what real-world scenarios is this calculator useful?
A: This calculator is useful for calculating course grades with different weighted assignments, investment portfolio returns, customer satisfaction scores with different importance factors, and any situation where some measurements are more significant than others.