69.0k views
3 votes
Formula for the position (within the set) of the median of a set of n numbers when n is odd

A) (n + 1)/2
B) n/2
C) (n - 1)/2
D) n

1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

The position of the median in a set of n numbers when n is odd is given by (n + 1)/2. If n is 97, the median is the 49th value. For an even n, such as 14 values, the median is the average of the 7th and 8th values.

Step-by-step explanation:

The position of the median in a set of n numbers, when n is odd, can be found using a specific formula. Since the median is the middle value of the ordered data (arranged from smallest to largest), when n is an odd number, the position of the median will be given by the formula (n + 1)/2. For example, if n equals 97, which is an odd number, the median would be the value located at position 49th in the ordered set because (97 + 1)/2 equals 49.

When dealing with a data set where n is an even number, the median is not a positional value but rather the average of the two middle values. Therefore, for a set with 14 numbers, the median will be the average of the 7th and 8th values once the data is ordered. If those values are 6.8 and 7.2 respectively, the median would be 7 (the average of 6.8 and 7.2).

User Texas
by
9.4k points

No related questions found