A consumer research group purchased identical items in eight drugstores. The costs for the purchased items were $85.74, $90.7, $81.43, $80.65, $88.73, $82.42, $87.9, and $85.82. Calculate the mean and the median costs of the purchased items.
A) Mean: $87.421; median: $87.780
B) Mean: $86.421; median: $86.780
C) Mean: $85.421; median: $85.780
D) Mean: $87.621; median: $87.980
E) Mean: $88.721; median: $89.080

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mean = (85.74 + 90.7 + 81.43 + 80.65 + 88.73 + 82.42 + 87.9 + 85.82) / 8 = 683.37 / 8 = $85.421. To find the median, first arrange the costs in ascending order: $80.65, $81.43, $82.42, $85.74, $85.82, $87.9, $88.73, $90.7. The median is the average of the middle two numbers, (85.74 + 85.82) / 2 = $85.780.

A Consumer Research Group Purchased Identical Items in Eight Drugstores