A factory employee says that the mean number of hours she works per week is 42.5 hours. Which of the following is the best interpretation of the employee's statement?

Question

The worker worked exactly 42.5 hours during at least one week.

The worker works less than 42.5 hours during half of the weeks.

The difference between the greatest number and least number of hours she works is 42.5.

If she spreads the hours she works in a year evenly over all the weeks she works the result would be 42.5 hours per week.

Answer 1

The best interpretation of the employee's statement that the mean number of hours she works per week is 42.5 hours is:

If she spreads the hours she works in a year evenly over all the weeks she works, the result would be 42.5 hours per week.

This interpretation accurately reflects the concept of the mean, which is an average calculated by dividing the total hours worked over a given period by the number of weeks. The other options do not correctly represent the meaning of the average.