Question

Jacob has golf scores of 120, 112, 130, 128, and 124. He wants to have a mean, or average, golf score of 118. What score does he need in his next golf game to achieve this mean score?

needed in next golf game

Answer 1

To find the score Jacob needs in his next golf game to achieve a mean score of 118, we first need to calculate the total score he needs after playing six games.

The formula for the mean (average) score is:

\[
\text{Mean} = \frac{\text{Total Score}}{\text{Number of Games}}
\]

We want the mean to be 118 after 6 games, so we set up the equation:

\[
118 = \frac{\text{Total Score}}{6}
\]

Multiplying both sides by 6 gives us:

\[
\text{Total Score} = 118 \times 6 = 708
\]

Now, we can calculate Jacob's current total score from his first five games. His scores are 120, 112, 130, 128, and 124:

\[
\text{Current Total Score} = 120 + 112 + 130 + 128 + 124
\]

Calculating that:

\[
120 + 112 = 232
\]
\[
232 + 130 = 362
\]
\[
362 + 128 = 490
\]
\[
490 + 124 = 614
\]

So, his current total score is 614.

Next, to find the score Jacob needs in his next game (let's call it \( x \)), we set up the equation:

\[
614 + x = 708
\]

Subtracting 614 from both sides:

\[
x = 708 - 614 = 94
\]

Therefore, Jacob needs to score **94** in his next golf game to achieve a mean score of 118.