Question

Emmett volunteered at the city botanical gardens, recording the number of butterflies attracted by each of the 10 exhibits. He recorded:
5 butterflies7 butterflies7 butterflies9 butterflies9 butterflies7 butterflies5 butterflies6 butterflies7 butterflies8 butterflies
What was the mean number of butterflies recorded?

butterflies

Answer 1

To find the mean number of butterflies recorded, we need to add up the total number of butterflies and then divide by the number of exhibits.

Here are the counts of butterflies Emmett recorded:
- 5
- 7
- 7
- 9
- 9
- 7
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8

Now, we will sum these numbers:

\( 5 + 7 + 7 + 9 + 9 + 7 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 \)

Calculating step by step:
\[
5 + 7 = 12 \\
12 + 7 = 19 \\
19 + 9 = 28 \\
28 + 9 = 37 \\
37 + 7 = 44 \\
44 + 5 = 49 \\
49 + 6 = 55 \\
55 + 7 = 62 \\
62 + 8 = 70
\]

The total number of butterflies recorded is 70.

Next, to find the mean, we divide the total by the number of exhibits:
\[
\text{Mean} = \frac{\text{Total}}{\text{Number of exhibits}} = \frac{70}{10} = 7
\]

Therefore, the mean number of butterflies recorded is **7** butterflies.