Meanings
plural z-averages
- A weighted average where the value for each component is weighted by the square of its mass or volume.
The harmonic average lies in between the z-average and the weight-average particle size.
2007 -, Wolfgang Schärtl, Light Scattering from Polymer Solutions and Nanoparticle Dispersions, →ISBN2 more examples
When proper measurements are made, the parameters of the size distribution most often obtained -- the inverse z-average moments -- are not the usually reported parameters of a size distribution.
1984, Howard G. Barth, Modern Methods of Particle Size Analysis, →ISBN, page 113The calculated number average molecular weight is generally very dependent upon the low molecular weight material in the distribution, whilst the z-average is more affected by the high molecular weight material present.
1995, S. R. Holding, E. Meehan, Molecular Weight Characterisation of Synthetic Polymers, →ISBN, page 4
Origin
From the first letter of the German word Zentrifuge (centrifuge), because this measurement was first used with centrifugation data.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
z-average. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/z-average
“z-average.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/z-average. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “z-average,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/z-average.
Source: z-average on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.