Alex noticed the following changes in the value of his stocks over the following months: -8.27 in January, -9.23 in February, +21.50 in March, +4.18 in April. Estimate the average change in his stocks by rounding first to the nearest whole number.

Question

Alex noticed the following changes in the value of his stocks over the following months:  -8.27 in January, -9.23 in February, +21.50 in March, +4.18 in April.  Estimate the average change in his stocks by rounding first to the nearest whole number.

anonymous · Answer

You compute this as an average - add all the numbers together and then divide by how many there are (4).  Then round at the end.

anonymous · Answer

Rounding first
-8, -9, 21, 4

Finding the average
(25-17)/4 = 8/4 = 2

anonymous · Answer

Ah, quite right - missed the "first."