A certain bookcase has 2 shelves of

A certain bookcase has 2 shelves of books. On the upper shelf, the book with the greatest number of pages has 400 pages. On the lower shelf, the book with the least number of pages has 475 pages. What is the median number of pages for all of the books on the 2 shelves?

2 Explanations

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James Plewak

With this question, are we operating under the assumption that the books are being organized from least to greatest? With respect to # of pages?

May 31, 2015 • Comment

Jonathan , Magoosh Tutor

When we take the median yes -- the median is the middle value (or average of middle values when there are an even number of values) when all values are arranged in order from least to greatest. But this does not mean the books are in this order on the shelf-the order on the shelf does not matter. For example, if I have a list:
3,8,2,1,5

3 is the median, because when I put the values in order, 3 is in the middle. It doesn't matter that it's the first number in the list.

Jun 15, 2015 • Reply

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Mike McGarry, Magoosh Tutor