Question

Use the table to answer the question.
Number of Pets Owned by Algebra Students
Number of Pets Number of Students
0 6
1 4
2 1
3 4
4 6
Create a dot for the given data, and then use the mean to find the balancing point of the data.

Answer 1

To find the balancing point (mean) of the given data on the number of pets owned by algebra students, we need to calculate the mean using the formula:

\[
\text{Mean} = \frac{\text{Total sum of all pets}}{\text{Total number of students}}
\]

### Step 1: Calculate the Total Number of Students

First, we find the total number of students:

- 0 pets: 6 students
- 1 pet: 4 students
- 2 pets: 1 student
- 3 pets: 4 students
- 4 pets: 6 students

Total number of students:

\[
6 + 4 + 1 + 4 + 6 = 21
\]

### Step 2: Calculate the Total Number of Pets

Next, we calculate the total number of pets by multiplying the number of pets by the corresponding number of students:

\[
\text{Total pets} = (0 \times 6) + (1 \times 4) + (2 \times 1) + (3 \times 4) + (4 \times 6)
\]

Calculating each term:

- \(0 \times 6 = 0\)
- \(1 \times 4 = 4\)
- \(2 \times 1 = 2\)
- \(3 \times 4 = 12\)
- \(4 \times 6 = 24\)

Adding them up:

\[
0 + 4 + 2 + 12 + 24 = 42
\]

### Step 3: Calculate the Mean

Now, we can compute the mean:

\[
\text{Mean} = \frac{42}{21} = 2
\]

### Summary

The balancing point (mean) of the data is **2 pets**.

This means that if we plotted the data points (the number of pets owned vs. the number of students) as dots, the mean of 2 represents the average pet ownership in this group of students.