Chapter 2 Problem Solving and Data Analysis 93

IV. AVERAGES

CONCEPT OVERVIEWS

Average
The average of a set of values is equal to the sum of all values in that set divided
by the number of values.
Sum of Terms
A verage = (the average formula)
Number of Terms
The key to solving arithmetic average problems is using the average formula.

Example: John has the following scores on his math tests this semester: 80,85,
89, and 90. What is his average score on his math tests that semester?
, 80 + 85 + 89 + 90
Answer: John s Average = 4
= 86
The average score of all of John's math tests is 86.

Sum of All Values in the Set

If you are given an average and asked to find the sum of all values in the set,
multiply the average by the number of terms in the set.
Sum of Terms = Average x Number of Terms

Number of Terms in the Set

On the other hand, if you are given an average and a sum and asked to find the
number of terms in the set, divide the sum by the average to get the number of
terms.
Number of Terms = _Su_m--,of:.-T_e_r_m_s
Average

Example: The average score of a math quiz in a class is 81 and the sum of the
scores is 1215. How many students are in this class?
1215
Answer: Number of Students = -81 = 15

Finding the Missing Number

If you know the average of a set, the number of items in that set, and the sum of all
but one of the values, then you can find the value in that set missing from the sum
by subtracting the sum from the average times the number of items.

Example: There were 4 tests in Joe's Algebra class. So far he received the
following scores on his tests: 83,93, and 87. What score does he need
on the last test in order to get an average score of 90 and above?
Hint: The current sum (with one score missing) is 83 + 93 + 87 = 263. He wants
an average of 90 or above.
Answer: 90 x 4 - 263 = 360 - 263 = 87.
Joe needs to get at least an 87 to get an average of 90 or above.
94 Dr. Jang's SAT 800 Math Workbook For The New SAT

Mean, Median, and Mode

- Mean: The usual arithmetic average of a set.

. 2 +6+4+5+3
Example: The mean of the set {2, 6,4,5, 3} IS
5
= 4.

- Median: The middle element (or average of two middle elements) when a set
is sorted from least to greatest. If the set has an odd number of elements, the
median is the middle element. If the set has an even number of elements, the
median is the average of the two middle elements.

Example 1: What is the median of the set {3, 11, 6, 5, 4,7,12,3, 10}?
Hint: Sort the numbers in order first: {3, 3,4,5,6, 7, 10, 11, 12}
Answer: There are 9 numbers in the set, so the median is the middle element
in the sorted set. The median is 6.

Example 2: What is the median of the set {3, II, 6, 5, 4,7,12,3,10, 12}?
Hint: Sort the numbers in order: {3, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, II, 12, 12}
Answer: There are 10 numbers in the set, so the median number is the
average of the two middle numbers, 6 and 7. The median is 6.5.

- Mode: The value(s) that appear most often in the set.

Example: What is the mode of the set {7, 13, 18, 24, 9, 3, 18}?
Hint: Sort the numbers in order: {3, 7, 9, 13, 18, 18, 24}
Answer: The number which occurs most often is 18. Therefore, the mode is
18.

Problem Solving Skills

Easy

1. The average (arithmetic mean) of 5, 14, and x is 15. What Answer: (b)
is the value of x?
The average of these three
a) 25 numbers is 15, so the sum will be
b) 26 3 x 15 = 45.
c) 27 5+14+x=45
d) 28 x = 45 -19 =26

2. Mary has the following scores on 7 quizzes in Algebra Answer: (b)

class: 84, 79, 83, 87, 81, 94, and 87. What was the median
Sort the scores in order.
score of all of her Algebra quizzes? ®
a) 81 79, 81, 83, 84, 87, 87, 94
The median is 84.
b) 84
c) 85
d) 86
 Chapter 2 Problem Solving and Data Analysis 95

3. If the average (arithmetic mean) of 7 numbers is greater Answer: (c)

than 25 and less than 30, which of the following could be 7 x 25 < Sum < 7 x 30
the sum of the 7 numbers?
a) 150 175 < Sum < 210
b) 170
c) 190
d) 210

4. Which of the following sets of numbers has an average Answer: (d)

(arithmetic mean) that is equal to its median? ® Sort all the numbers in the set
a) {-2, -1, 1} from least to greatest. If there are
b) {-2, -1, 1, 2, 3} odd amount of numbers in a set,
then median is tire middle number.
c) {1, 2, 3, 6}
If there are even amount of
d) {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} numbers in the set, median is the
average of the two middle
numbers.
a) Average = - i
Median = -1
b) Average = 0.6 Median = 1
c) Average = 3 Median = 2.5
d) Average = 3 Median = 3

5. X is a set of numbers whose average (arithmetic mean) is Answer: (d)

5. Y is a set that is created by doubling and adding 3 to
If we double and add 3 to each
each number in X. What is the average of the numbers in element in X, we will double and
the setY? add 3 to the mean of X as well.
a) 10
5 x 2 + 3 = 13
b) 11
c) 12
d) 13

6. Let A represents the average of all winter monthly Answer: (d)

heating bills for John's family. What is the result of
Multiplying the average by the
multiplying A by the number of months in winter? ® number of elements (months) in
a) The average of all heating expenses for John's tire set gives you tire sum of all the
elements.
family in the year.
b) The highest monthly heating bill for John's family
that winter.
c) The sum of the gas bills for the whole year for
John's family.
d) The sum of the heating expense in winter for
John's family.

7. If the average of 3a, 4a, and 5a is equal to 8, what is a Answer: 2

equal to? The average of 3a, 4a and 5a is
equal to 4a.
4a= 8 --# a = 2
96 Dr. Jang's SAT 800 Math Workbook For The New SAT

8. The median of a set of 13 consecutive integers is 35. What Answer: (d)

is the greatest of these 13 integers?
The median is the 7111 number of 13
a) 37 consecutive i1ltegers. l1wt means
b) 38 there are 6 integers less than the
c) 40 median and 6 integers greater
d) 41 than the median. The greatest
integer is the 6111 consecutive
integer after 35.
35 + 6 = 41

9. If the average (arithmetic mean) of 2, X, and Y is 3, what Answer: (c)

is the value of X + Y?
X+Y+2=3x3=9
a) 4 X+Y=7
b) 5
c) 7
d) 8

10. The average score of John's 5 math tests is 75. If the Answer: (c)
teacher decides not to count his lowest score, which is
John's original average is 75 for 5
55, what will be John's new average score? tests.
a) 78 5 x 75 = 375 ( sum of5 tests)
b) 79 375 - 55 = 320 (sum of 4 tests)
320
c) 80 "'"4 = 80 (average of4 tests)

d) 81

11. If the average (arithmetic mean) of x and 2x is 12, what Answer: 8

is the value of x?
x + 2x = 2 x 12
3x =24
x=8

12. The average (arithmetic mean) of the weights of 15 Answer: (d)

boxes of oranges is x pounds. In terms of x, what is the
Sum of All Elements = Number of
total weight of the boxes, in pounds? Elements x Average
a) 15 + x Total Weight = 15 x x
b) 15 - x
c) 15 + x
d) 15x

13. If the sum of 4 numbers is between 61 and 63, then the Answer: (c)
average (arithmetic mean) of the 4 numbers could be 61 63
- < Average < -
which of the following? 4 4

a) 15 15.25 < Average < 15.75

b) 15.2
c) 15.5
d) 16
 Chapter 2 Problem Solving and Data Analysis 97

14. Joe goes on a business trip that includes 3 different Answer: (b)
types of transportation: bike, bus, and airplane, in that
The higher the speed of the vehicle,
order. If all three transportations take roughly the same the steeper (greater) the slope of
amount of time, which of the following could be the the graph. Since bikes are slower
graph of the distance traveled by the three than buses which are slower than
planes, the graph must have three
transportations? ® segments of increasing slope.
a) ______________________ _
Travel Time vs. Distance

IV Time
a),--____________ --,
__J
Travel Time vs. Distance
III
u
C
III
1;;
is

b),r --_ _ __
Travel Time vs. Distance
III
u
C
III
1;;
iSl.-====~_ __
Time
'-------'-'= - - - - - - --
c).--_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _---.
Travel Time vs. Distance
III
u
c
.~C
- -- - - -- - - - - ---'

Medium

15. If the sum of 7 numbers is between 41 and 43, then the Answer: (c)
average (arithmetic mean) of the 7 numbers could be Sum
Average = -7-
which of the following?
a) 5 41 43
-7 < Average < -7
b) 5~ 5.85 < Average < 6.14
c) 6
d) 6.!.
2
98 Dr. Jang's SAT 800 Math Workbook For The New SAT

16. On a certain test, the highest possible score is 100 and Answer: (d)
the lowest is O. If the average score of 5 students is 82,
The lowest possible score is equal
what is the lowest possible score of the fifth student? to the lowest score a student can
a) 0 get if each of other Jour students
b) 5 got the highest possible score
c) 7 (otherwise we can always increase
another student's score and
d) 10 decrease the lowest score). Thus,
each of other Jour students must
get 100. Total Score = 5 x 82 =
410; Lowest Score = 410 - 400 = 10

17. If a solution of iodine and alcohol contains 3 ounces of Answer: (a)

iodine and 13.5 ounces of alcohol, how many ounces of
Only alcohol can evaporate.
alcohol need to evaporate so that the ratio of iodine to Let x be the amount of alcolwl
alcohol is 2 to 5? evaporated in ounces.
a) 6 _ 3 _ =! (cross multiply)
13.5 - x 5
b) 7 15 = 27- 2x
c) 8 x=6
d) 9
Math Midterm
Scores Number of Students
100 1
95 3
90 5
85 8
80 3
Answer: (c)
18. The scores of the math midterm for every student in
Sam's class are shown in the table above. Sam, who was For an odd set, the median is the
the only student absent, will take the test next week. H score in the middle when scores
Sam receives a score of 95 on the test, what will be the listed in order.
median score for the test? If we include Sam, the median will
a) 75 be the 11 /I, highest score which is
b) 82.5 85.
c) 85
d) 87.5

19. On an Algebra final exam, class A has an average score Answer: (d)
of 90 with 10 students. Class B has an average score of
This is not the average of the
85 with 20 students. When the scores of class A and B averages since the classes have
are combined, what is the average score of class A and different number of students.' The
B? final average is the sum of all
a) 82 students' scores divided by tIre
total number of students.
b) 82.5 We know that the sum of all the
c) 83 students' scores in one class is just
d) 86.7 the average multiplied by tIre
number of students.
A verage =
10 x 90
10
+ 20 X 85
+ 20 = 86.67
 Chapter 2 Problem Solving and Data Analysis 99

20. If the average (arithmetic mean) of x, y, and z is k, which AlIswer: (d)

of the following is the average of w, x, y and z? ® k=X+Y+Z
a) k+w 3

2
b) 2k;W x + y + z = 3k
x+y+z+w 3k+w
A verage: 4 = -4-
3k+w
c) 3
d) 3k+w
4

21. If 8 out of 24 students in a math class get a perfect score, Answer: (b)
then the class average (arithmetic mean) on this test will
To find the average score for the
be 91 points out of 100. What was the average score for remaining students, we need to
the remaining students? find the total score of all the
a) 86 remaining students and divide
b) 86.5 that by the number of remaining
students.
c) 87.5 There are 24 - 8 = 16 remaining
d) 88 students who did not get a perfect
score. The sum of all scores is 24x
91 (which includes the test scores
for the 8 that got a perfect score).
24 x 91 - 8 x 100 = 1384
1384
Average: 24"="ii = 86.5
3,5,7,9
Answer: (d)
22. In the list above, if we add a positive integer P to the
list, which of the following could be the median of the P can be any positive integer, so
new list of five numbers? ® there are a few cases.
I. 5
P < 5: The median would be 5.
II. 6 P = 6: l1w median would be P.
III. 7 P> 7: The median would be 7.
a) I only
b) I, II only
c) I, III only
d) I, II, III

23. On a biology test with total of 100 points, a class of 21 Answer: (c)
students had an average of 93. If 5 of the students had a
Once again, the average gives a
perfect score, what was the average score for the way to calculate the total score of
remaining students? all the students. Deduct from that
a) 89 sum the sum of the test scores that
b) 90 were perfect and divide by the
remaining number of students.
c) 91 Sum
Average: 21 = 93
d) 91.5 Sum of all scores: 21 x 93 = 1953
Deduct 5 perfect scores:
1953 - 500 = 1453
1453
New Average = -
21- 5
= 90.8 ~ 91
100 Dr. Jang's SAT 800 Math Workbook For The New SAT

24. Which of the following could be the sum of 8 numbers Answer: (d)
if the average of these 8 numbers is greater than 9 and
Sum = Number of Elements x
less than 10? Average
a) 85 9 x 8 < Sum < 10 x 8
b) 83 72 < Sum < 80
c) 82
d) 79

Hard
25. We start out with a set of 7 numbers. We subtract 3 Answer: (d)
from 3 of these numbers. If the average (arithmetic Average: Sum of Tenns
mean) of these seven numbers was 11 originally, what is Number of Terms

the new average? 7 x 11- 3 x 3 = 9.7

a) 7.5 7

b) 8
c) 8.5
d) 9.7

26. If the average (arithmetic mean) of 12, 16 and x is equal Answer: (c)
to x, what is the value of x? 12 + 16 +x
a) 9 Average: 3 = X

b) 10 28 + x = 3x
c) 14 28 =2x
d) 16 x = 14

27. The average (arithmetic mean) of 24 exam scores is 88. Answer: (c)
After removing the highest and lowest scores from the
We have two pieces of information:
set, the average of the remaining 22 exam scores is 89. the average of the original set of
What is the sum of the scores of the 2 exams that were scores (from which we can get the
removed? sum of the scores by multiplying
a) 150 by the number of scores) and the
average of the scores after taking
b) 152 out two exams (from which we can
c) 154 also find the sum of the remaining
d) 156 scores).
Subtract, and we will get the sum
of the scores that were removed.
24 x 88 - 22 x 89 = 154

28. If the average (arithmetic mean) of a and b is m, which Answer: (a)

of the following is the average of a, b, and c? ® The Average of a, b, and c is equal
a) 2m+c to the sum of a, b, and c divided by
3
3.
b) m+c
2 a+b=2m
2m+c a+b+c=2m+c
c) 2 2m+c
Average:--
d) m:2c 3
 Chapter 2 Problem Solving and Data Analysis 101

29. Class A has X students and class B has Y students. The Answer: (c)
average of the test scores of class A is 80, and the x
We want to find y'
average of the test scores of class B is 90. When the
scores of class A and B are combined, the average score Average: Sum of Terms
is 88. What is the ratio of X to Y? 80X + 90Y
Number of Terms
.
a) 1 -X-+-Y- = 88 (cross multiply)
2 BOX + gOY = BB x (X + Y)
b) 1 BOX + gOY =BBX + BBY
3
2Y=BX
c) 1 x 2 1
4 -::-=-
Y 8 4
d) 2
3

30. N students have an average of K scores on a math test. Answer: (c)

Another 3 students were absent and received zeroes on Total Score
A verage =
the test. What is the average score of this math test in Number of Students
KxN
terms of N and K, taking into accounts all of the Average=--
N+3

students?®
NK
a) -
3
NK
b) K+3
NK
c) N+3
N-3
d) - K

31. Which of the following CANNOT affect the value of the Answer: (d)
median in a set of nonzero unique numbers with more
The median of an odd-numbered
than two elements? ® set is the number in the middle
a) Increase each number by 5 when all numbers in the set have
b) Double each number been sorted in numerical order. In
an even-numbered set, it is the
c) Increase the smallest number only average of the two middle
d) Decrease the smallest number only elements.
We can change the median by:
i. Changing the value of the
median
ii. Changing order of numbers so
that we have a new median
Choices (a) and (b) change all
values so tIle median will be
changed. Choice (c) could result in
a new median if the number
changed becomes tIle new median.
Choice (d) reduces the element
tlUlt is already tIle smallest, and
we know that there are more than
2 elements, so tIle median does not
get changed.