What do “averages” calculated in Summary Statistics, Tables, and the Timeline mean?
An average is a value that is typical or representative of all values for the group of persons or things it describes. It is important to remember that the meaning of an average should be judged by the amount of deviation of particular cases around it. For four voyages landing 250, 280, 310, 360 slaves respectively, and for three voyages with 100 slaves and one voyage with 900, the average is the same: 300 slaves. The standard deviation is the clue to how much the average resembles particular cases in the group for which it is calculated. Divide the standard deviation by the average. The smaller the quotient, the closer particular cases are to the average. The larger the quotient, the more variation there is above and below the average.
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