During the 2011-12 winter season, a homeowner received four deliveries of heating oil, as shown in the following table:
Gallons Purchased Price per Gallon ($)
209 2.60
182 2.40
157 2.78
149 2.74
The homeowner claimed that the mean price he paid for oil during the season was
(2.60 + 2.40 + 2.78 + 2.74)/4 = $2.63 per gallon.
Do you agree with this claim? If not, explain why this method of calculating the mean is not
appropriate in this case and find the correct value of the mean price.
1 answer