College

Last week's and this week's daily high temperatures are shown in the table below.

[tex]
\[
\begin{tabular}{|c|c|c|c|c|c|c|c|}
\hline
\multicolumn{8}{|c|}{High Temperatures for This Week and Last Week} \\
\hline
\multicolumn{2}{|c|}{\begin{tabular}{c}
High Temperatures \\
This Week $\left({ }^{\circ} F \right)$
\end{tabular}} & 65 & 73 & 73 & 74 & 73 & 75 \\
\hline
\begin{tabular}{c}
High Temperatures \\
Last Week $\left({ }^{\circ} F \right)$
\end{tabular} & 68 & 51 & 62 & 66 & 85 & 72 & 72 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\]
[/tex]

How much greater is this week's median temperature than last week's median temperature?

A. 2 degrees
B. 3 degrees
C. 4 degrees
D. 5 degrees

Answer :

We are given the daily high temperatures for this week and last week. To find how much greater this week's median temperature is than last week's, follow these steps:

1. For this week, the temperatures are:
[tex]$$65,\,73,\,73,\,74,\,73,\,75.$$[/tex]
First, sort the temperatures:
[tex]$$65,\,73,\,73,\,73,\,74,\,75.$$[/tex]
Since there are 6 numbers (an even count), the median is the average of the third and fourth numbers. These numbers are both [tex]$73$[/tex], so the median is:
[tex]$$\frac{73 + 73}{2} = 73.$$[/tex]

2. For last week, the temperatures are:
[tex]$$68,\,51,\,62,\,66,\,85,\,72,\,72.$$[/tex]
Sorting these gives:
[tex]$$51,\,62,\,66,\,68,\,72,\,72,\,85.$$[/tex]
There are 7 numbers (an odd count), so the median is the middle number. The fourth number in the sorted list is [tex]$68$[/tex], so the median is:
[tex]$$68.$$[/tex]

3. The difference between this week’s median and last week’s median is:
[tex]$$73 - 68 = 5.$$[/tex]

Thus, this week's median temperature is [tex]$\boxed{5}$[/tex] degrees greater than last week's median temperature.