# averages

• March 19th 2010, 04:19 PM
sarahh
averages
IN a town of 500 people, the 300 males have an average age of 45 and the 200 females have an average age of 35. To the nearest year, what is the average age of the town's entire population?

It's not 40..??
• March 19th 2010, 04:28 PM
mr fantastic
Quote:

Originally Posted by sarahh
IN a town of 500 people, the 300 males have an average age of 45 and the 200 females have an average age of 35. To the nearest year, what is the average age of the town's entire population?

It's not 40..??

$\frac{300 \times 45 + 200 \times 35}{300 + 200} = ....$
• March 19th 2010, 04:32 PM
sarahh
Thanks fox! It comes out to 41. But why does it work tho?
• March 19th 2010, 04:39 PM
mr fantastic
Quote:

Originally Posted by sarahh
Thanks fox! It comes out to 41. But why does it work tho?

Numerator = total age of male population + total age of femal population = total age of population. Denominator = total population.
• March 19th 2010, 05:29 PM
mr fantastic
Pre-emptive closure of thread due to member's history of question deletion after getting help.