Answer:
2
Explanation:
To solve this problem, we need to first find the current average and median number of AP classes per student, and then use that information to determine the number of AP classes the new student is taking.
To find the current average number of AP classes per student, we can use the information in the table:
(1 AP class) x 6 students = 6 AP classes
(2 AP classes) x 9 students = 18 AP classes
(3 AP classes) x 5 students = 15 AP classes
(4 AP classes) x 4 students = 16 AP classes
Total number of AP classes = 6 + 18 + 15 + 16 = 55
Total number of students = 6 + 9 + 5 + 4 = 24
Average number of AP classes per student = Total number of AP classes / Total number of students
= 55 / 24
= 2.29 (rounded to two decimal places)
To find the current median number of AP classes per student, we need to order the number of AP classes per student from least to greatest:
1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4
The median is the middle value when the data is ordered in this way. Since there are 24 students, the median is the average of the 12th and 13th values:
Median = (2 + 2) / 2
= 2
Since we know that the current average and median are not equal, the new student must be taking a number of AP classes that will bring the average up to 2. We can set up an equation to represent this:
(55 + x) / (24 + 1) = 2
where x is the number of AP classes the new student is taking. Solving for x, we get:
55 + x = 50
x = -5
This is a nonsensical answer, as the number of AP classes taken by the new student cannot be negative. Therefore, our assumption that the new student is taking a number of AP classes greater than the current average is incorrect. Instead, the new student must be taking a number of AP classes less than the current average, which will bring the average down to 2.
Let y be the number of AP classes the new student is taking. We can set up a new equation to represent this:
(55 + y) / (24 + 1) = 2 - ((2.29 - 2) / 2)
where the term on the right-hand side represents the amount by which the average needs to decrease in order to reach 2. Solving for y, we get:
55 + y = 46.5
y = 46.5 - 55
y = 8.5
So the new student is taking 8.5 AP classes. However, since the number of AP classes must be a whole number, we need to round this value to the nearest integer. Since 8.5 is closer to 9 than to 8, we round up to 9. Therefore, the answer is:
The new student is taking 9 AP classes. Answer: None of the above (not given as an option).