Question

On a certain compact disc, three songs have the following playing times: Song A: 4 minutes and 56 seconds Song B: 2 minutes and 30 seconds Song C: 10 minutes and 16 seconds What is the average playing time of these three songs?

Answer 1

First, convert all of these into numbers in terms of seconds.

Song A: 4 minutes and 56 seconds

4 minutes and 56 seconds =
[4 minutes * (60 seconds / minute)] + 56 seconds =
240 seconds + 56 seconds =
296 seconds

Song B: 2 minutes and 30 seconds

2 minutes and 30 seconds =
[2 minutes * (60 seconds / minute)] + 30 seconds =
120 seconds + 30 seconds =
150 seconds

Song C: 10 minutes and 16 seconds

10 minutes and 16 seconds =
[10 minutes * (60 seconds / minute)] + 16 seconds =
600 seconds + 16 seconds =
616 seconds

Remember how to calculate average.

average = total seconds / song count

average = (296 seconds + 150 seconds + 616 seconds) / 3 songs
average = 1062 seconds / 3 songs
average = 354 seconds / song

Convert the average into minutes and seconds.

354 seconds * (minute / 60 seconds) =
5.9 minutes =
5 minutes + 0.9 minutes =
5 minutes + [0.9 minutes * (60 seconds / minute)] =
5 minutes + 54 seconds =
5 minutes, 54 seconds

ANSWER: The average playing time is 5 minutes, 54 seconds per song.