Answer:
5
Step-by-step explanation:
A tech company bought a number of computers for its employees: 6 costing $1600 each, 4 costing $1200 each, and y costing $900 each, where y is a positive odd integer. what is the greatest possible value of y
Solution:
The median of a group of numbers is the middle number when the group of numbers have been arranged either in ascending of descending other. The median of an even group of numbers is the average of the two most middle most numbers while the median of an odd group of numbers is the middle number.
Since there are 6 computers costing $1600, 4 computers costing $1200 each and y computers costing $900 each. Since y is odd, hence y + 6 + 4 would be odd and the median would be the middle number.
Given that the median price = $1200, this means that the middle of the group of numbers is $1200
900, 900, ..., 1200, 1200, 1200, 1200, 1600, 1600, 1600, 1600, 1600, 1600
Since y is odd, for the median price to be $1200, y has to be 3 or 5.
If y = 3:
900, 900, 900, 1200, 1200, 1200, 1200, 1600, 1600, 1600, 1600, 1600, 1600
median = $1200
If y = 5:
900, 900, 900, 900, 900, 1200, 1200, 1200, 1200, 1600, 1600, 1600, 1600, 1600, 1600
Median = $1200
Therefore the greatest possible value of y is 5
