Question

Last year for 6 consecutive months, Sam recorded the total number of miles for each month. These miles were: 1,086, 997, 1,534, 1,637, 880 and 1,002. What was the median number of miles that Sam drove during those months? miles

Answer 1

The median number of miles that Sam drove during those months is 1044 miles

Explanation:

The median separates the upper half from the lower half of a set. So 50% of the values in a data set lie at or below the median, and 50% lie at or above the median.

For a set of n values

First we order the values in an increasing way.

If n is odd, the median is the value at the position (n+1)/2

If n is even, the median is the average of the values at the positions n/2 and (n/2) + 1

In this problem:

6 values

Ordered in an increasing way:

880, 997, 1002, 1086, 1534, 1637

6 is an even value.

6/2 = 3. The third element is 1002

6/2 + 1 = 4. The fourth element is 1086.

Average: (1002 + 1086)/2 = 1044

The median number of miles that Sam drove during those months is 1044 miles