The Environmental Protection Agency records data on the fuel economy of many different makes of cars.Data on the mileage of 20 randomly selected cars are listed below.The values are ordered for convenience. What is the median mileage for these 20 cars?
A)17.5 miles per gallon
B)19 miles per gallon
C)19.5 miles per gallon
D)20 miles per gallon

Question

The Environmental Protection Agency records data on the fuel economy of many different makes of cars.Data on the mileage of 20 randomly selected cars are listed below.The values are ordered for convenience.  What is the median mileage for these 20 cars?
A)17.5 miles per gallon 
B)19 miles per gallon 
C)19.5 miles per gallon 
D)20 miles per gallon

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To find the median, we need to find the middle value when the data is ordered. Since we have 20 data points, the middle two values must be averaged to find the median.

When the data is ordered, the middle two values are 19 and 20.

(14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 18, 19, 19, 20, 20, 22, 23, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30, 31, 31)

The average of 19 and 20 is 19.5, so the median mileage for these 20 cars is 19.5 miles per gallon. Therefore, the answer is C.

The Environmental Protection Agency Records Data on the Fuel Economy