Averages are used to describe a set of numbers that, by
themselves, would be difficult to comprehend. We are ex-
posed to averages every day. We see averages of rainfall,
incomes, outside temperatures, wind velocity, heights of
people, prices, and averages of many other statistics. Put in
the wrong hands, they can be as misleading as a mirage.

In baseball, a batting average is a handy device for getting a
quick idea of the likelihood that a batter will get a hit. The
announcer might say that the player's batting average is 250.
Translated, this means that this batter has an average of
getting a hit once out of four times at bat. It is calculated by
getting a tally of the number of hits and dividing it by the
total number of times at bat.

If this player has batted 400 times and during the same
period has had 100 hits, his batting average is .250. Instead of
dealing with decimals, baseball officials multiply batting

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