38. What is the median of this sales-receipt data? $25, $34, $41, $48
Answer: C
The median of the sales-receipt data is $41.
To determine the median, we first need to arrange the data in ascending order, which is already done: $25, $34, $41, $48. Since there are four values, the median is the average of the two middle numbers ($34 and $41), resulting in a median of $41.
A) $25
Option A is incorrect because $25 is the lowest value in the dataset and does not represent the median. The median is defined as the middle value of a sorted list, and here it is not among the middle numbers.
B) $34
Option B is incorrect as well. While $34 is one of the middle values, the median is calculated by taking the average of the two middle numbers ($34 and $41). Therefore, $34 alone does not represent the median.
C) $41
Option C is correct because it is the result of calculating the median from the provided data. The two middle values ($34 and $41) average to $41, making it the median.
D) $48
Option D is incorrect because $48 is the highest value in the dataset. The median is not determined by the highest number but rather by the middle values of the sorted list.
Conclusion
The median is correctly identified as $41, as it accurately represents the average of the two central values in the ordered dataset. The other options do not fulfill the requirement of being the median, as they either represent the lowest or highest values or are not the average of the middle numbers.