Harmonic Mean - Relationship With Other Means

Relationship With Other Means

If a set of non-identical numbers is subjected to a mean-preserving spread — that is, two or more elements of the set are "spread apart" from each other while leaving the arithmetic mean unchanged — then the harmonic mean always decreases.

Let r be a non zero real number and let the rth power mean ( Mr ) of a series of real variables ( a1, a2, a3, ... ) be defined as

For r = -1, 1 and 2 we have the harmonic, the arithmetic and the quadratic means respectively. Define r = 0, -∞ and +∞ to be the geometric mean, the minimum of the variates and the maximum of the variates respectively. Then for any two real numbers s and t such that s < t we have

with equality only if all the ai are equal.

Let R be the quadratic mean (or root mean square). Then

Read more about this topic:  Harmonic Mean

Famous quotes containing the words relationship and/or means:

    “Only men of moral and mental force, of a patriotic regard for the relationship of the two races, can be of real service as ministers in the South. Less theology and more of human brotherhood, less declamation and more common sense and love for truth, must be the qualifications of the new ministry that shall yet save the race from the evils of false teaching.”
    —Fannie Barrier Williams (1855–1944)

    “Do we call this the land of the free? What is it to be free from King George and continue the slaves of King Prejudice? What is it to be born free and not to live free? What is the value of any political freedom, but as a means to moral freedom? Is it a freedom to be slaves, or a freedom to be free, of which we boast?”
    —Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)