What is the mean of the numbers 4, 8, 6, 10, 12?

To determine the mean of a set of numbers, you first need to sum all the numbers together and then divide that total by the count of numbers you have. For the numbers provided (4, 8, 6, 10, 12), the steps are as follows:

1. Add the numbers together:
   4 + 8 + 6 + 10 + 12 = 40.

2. Count the number of values:
   There are 5 numbers in total.

3. Divide the total sum by the count of numbers:
   40 ÷ 5 = 8.

Thus, the mean of the numbers is 8. This calculation shows that averaging a set of values provides a measure of central tendency, representing the typical or average value within the dataset. The result emphasizes the importance of understanding how to compute the mean, as it is one of the foundational concepts in statistics and quantitative literacy.