Average vs time-weighted average

The average is the sum of all individual observations divided by the number of observations. In contrast, the weighted average is observation multiplied by the weight and added to find a solution.

1. Is there a difference between average and weighted average?
2. Should I use average or weighted average?
3. What is a time-weighted average?
4. Why do we use time-weighted average?

Is there a difference between average and weighted average?

In calculating a simple average, or arithmetic mean, all numbers are treated equally and assigned equal weight. But a weighted average assigns weights that determine in advance the relative importance of each data point. A weighted average is most often computed to equalize the frequency of the values in a data set.

Should I use average or weighted average?

Weighted averages assign importance (or weight) to each number. A weighted average can be more useful than a regular average because it offers more nuance. It reduces the weight of data that is less important, allowing more material data to have a more significant effect on the result.

What is a time-weighted average?

A time-weighted average is equal to the sum of the portion of each time period (as a decimal, such as 0.25 hour) multiplied by the levels of the substance or agent during the time period divided by the hours in the workday (usually 8 hours).

Why do we use time-weighted average?

Time-weighted average calculations are used in situations where the time of exposure to a hazardous substance or the concentration of that substance varies. It is also applicable to short-term samples, such as a 15-minute TWA. The caluclation can also consider particular variables, dose rates, and duration.