harmonic mean

noun

, Statistics.

1. the mean obtained by taking the reciprocal of the arithmetic mean of the reciprocals of a set of nonzero numbers.

harmonic mean

noun

1. the reciprocal of the arithmetic mean of the reciprocals of a set of specified numbers: the harmonic mean of 2, 3, and 4 is 3( 1 2 + 1 3 + 1 4 ) ^–1= 3 6 13

harmonic mean

1. The reciprocal of the arithmetic mean of the reciprocals of a specified set of numbers.

Word History and Origins

Origin of harmonic mean¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

The harmonic mean of n quantities is the arithmetical mean of their reciprocals.

From Project Gutenberg