please help i know how to calculate mean but my answer isn't adding up to any of the answers on here and it's really confusing me because i don't know how to calculate mean using this kind of example.

Asmall (but heavy) particle placed in a glass of water will follow a zigzag motion because the particle will bounce off of the water molecules it meets. this is called brownian motion. a physicist simulates this on a computer, by varying the distance a particle can travel (called the mean free length), on average, before it collides with a water molecule and assigning the change in motion to be one of 8 directions, each with a similar probability. by running the simulated particle (with the same mean free length) many times she determines that it should take 15 seconds, on average, for the particle to fall to the bottom, with a standard deviation of 1.5 seconds. next she lets a real particle fall through a glass of water and finds that it took 18 seconds. what does she conclude, and why?

The average hourly earnings for a construction worker is projected to be $24.50 in 2012. jason wants to join the construction work force after he graduates in 2012. his friend tells him that average hourly earnings for construction workers will rise by 2% from 2009 to 2012. based on the data below, assuming that the projected hourly earnings are correct, is jason’s friend’s statement accurate? construction industry - average hourly earnings, 2000-2009 a. his friend’s statement is accurate. the average hourly earnings will increase by 2%. b. his friend’s statement is not accurate. the percent increase will be more than 2% c. his friend’s statement is not accurate. the percent increase will be less than 2% d. his friend’s statement is not accurate. the average hourly earnings will decrease

Sorry guys but as you have a small brain