Key Difference – Aggregate vs Average
Aggregate and average are two terms that are often used in calculations. However, these two terms mean two different things. Aggregate refers to the total sum of elements in a data set whereas average refers to the central value in a dataset. This is the key difference between aggregate and average.
What Does Aggregate Mean?
Aggregate is an adjective and a noun which refers to something formed or calculated by the combination of several separate elements. In simple terms, it is similar to a total sum.
Let’s look at a simple sum to calculate the aggregate value.
If there are five students in a class with marks 88, 56, 73, 64, and 69 out of 100, the aggregate would be calculated by adding these marks together and obtaining the total marks.
88 + 56 + 73 + 64 + 69 = 350
The total marks you have obtained in all the exams or assignments in a subject is your individual aggregate. It can be calculated by adding the marks you obtained for all the exams or assignments in that subject. For example, if you did three exams; add the marks of these three exams to get the individual aggregate marks for that subject.
Aggregate data is information that is gathered from different sources, on multiple measures or variables. This information is compiled into summary reports, typically for the purposes of statistical analysis. For example, the information about students in a school can be aggregated (compiled and summarized) to determine information about attendance, graduation rate, etc. of the whole school. Calculating the mean, mode and median are some of the methods used in summarizing this data.
In sociology, aggregate or social aggregate refers to a collection of people who happen to be in the same place at the same time; the compiled information obtained from them refers to aggregate data.
What Does Average Mean?
Average basically refers to the mean value in a data set. This is calculated by adding all the values of the data set and dividing by the number of data sets.
If we take the same example as before: there are five students in a class with marks 88, 56, 73, 64, and 69 out of 100. The average marks of the class would be calculated by adding all these marks together and dividing by the number of students.
88 + 56 + 73 + 64 + 69 = 350
350/5 = 70
Thus, the average mark obtained by students is 70%.
The average marks of the class are also termed as class average. The class average is the mean value of marks obtained by the students in a class.
If you want to know your individual average, add all the marks you have gotten for the exam, and divide it by the number of subjects. For example, if you have obtained 75% for Biology, 64% for Chemistry and 84% for physics, you can add them and divide by 3. (224/3 = 74%).
What is the difference between Aggregate and Average?
Definition:
Aggregate refers to the total sum of elements in a data set.
Average refers to the mean value in a data set.
Method:
Aggregate value is calculated by adding all values together.
Average value is calculated by adding all the values together and dividing by the number of elements.