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Re: Mean

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg32992] Re: Mean
• From: Steve Luttrell <luttrell at signal.qinetiq.com>
• Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2002 02:38:11 -0500 (EST)
• Organization: QinetiQ
• References: <a54qru$bsu$1@smc.vnet.net>
• Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

poonam_pandey at hotmail.com (poonam) wrote in news:a54qru$bsu$1
@smc.vnet.net:

> << Statistics`DescriptiveStatistics`
> 
> data = {4.3, 7.2, 8.4, 5.8, 9.2, 3.9}
> {4.3, 7.2, 8.4, 5.8, 9.2, 3.9}
> 
> Mean[data]
> Mean[{4.3, 7.2, 8.4, 5.8, 9.2, 3.9}]
> 
> Variance[data]
> 4.69467
> 
> I took this code exactly as in the help browser. Tried this in my
> notebook. Why do I not get an answer for Mean? I get an answer for
> Variance, and I also see an answer for Mean in the help browser for
> the same data.

I can reproduce this behaviour if I use the symbol Mean before I input 
the package Statistics`DescriptiveStatistics`, when I get the following 
warning message:

Mean::shdw: Symbol Mean appears in multiple contexts \
{Statistics`DescriptiveStatistics`,Global`}; definitions in context \
Statistics`DescriptiveStatistics` may shadow or be shadowed by other \
definitions.

The simplest way (there are other ways) to avoid this problem is to start 
with a fresh Mathematica session, in which case your code works as you 
wanted it to behave.



Steve Luttrell