2012-03-30 09:00:45

The average of five consecutive odd integers is x. If the median of the integers is 17, what does x equal?

The correct answer is 17

Explanation: In a set of consecutive odd integers, the median will be equal to the average, since each number is equally spaced apart. To prove this, simply find the numbers that make up this set. If the median is 17, that means two numbers must be smaller and two numbers larger than 17. This makes the other numbers 13, 15, 19, and 21, respectively. The average of these five numbers is calculated by adding them together and dividing by 5 (the number of objects in the set). 13 + 15 + 17 + 19 + 21 = 85. 85/5 = 17.