A consumer research group purchased identical items in eight grocery stores. The costs for the purchased items were $42.27, $48.60, $37.79, $37.01, $45.21, $38.78, $44.31, and $42.21. Calculate the mean and the median costs of the purchased items. Round your answers to four decimal places.
A) Mean: $42.2400; median: $42.2400
B) Mean: $42.0225; median: $42.2400
C) Mean: $42.0225; median: $42.0225
D) Mean: $42.2400; median: $42.0225
E) Mean: $48.0257; median: $42.2400

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To find the mean, add all the costs and divide by the number of items: ($42.27 + $48.60 + $37.79 + $37.01 + $45.21 + $38.78 + $44.31 + $42.21) / 8 = $336.18 / 8 = $42.0225. For the median, list the costs in ascending order: $37.01, $37.79, $38.78, $42.21, $42.27, $44.31, $45.21, $48.60. The median is the average of the middle two numbers: ($42.21 + $42.27) / 2 = $42.24.

A Consumer Research Group Purchased Identical Items in Eight Grocery