Shortcut Trick
Arrange the 11 observations in ascending order: 24, 26, 38, 39, 43, 49, 60, 61, 62, 72, 95.
Since the number of observations (N = 11) is odd, the median is the exact middle term.
Median = ((11 + 1) ÷ 2)th term = 6th term.
The 6th term in the sorted list is 49.
∴ The correct answer is 49.
Alternate Method
Given:
Observations: 60, 43, 24, 61, 72, 26, 39, 62, 49, 95, 38
Total number of observations (N) = 11
Formula Used:
When N is odd:
Median = ((N + 1) ÷ 2)th observation (after arranging in ascending order).
Calculations:
Arrange the given data in ascending order:
⇒ 24, 26, 38, 39, 43, 49, 60, 61, 62, 72, 95
Here, N = 11 (which is an odd number).
⇒ Median = ((11 + 1) ÷ 2)th term
⇒ Median = (12 ÷ 2)th term
⇒ Median = 6th term
⇒ 6th term = 49
Thus, the median of the given observations is 49.
Explanation of incorrect options:
⇒ Option (2) 43 is the 5th term, which is not the exact middle term.
⇒ Option (3) 60 is the 7th term, which is not the exact middle term.
⇒ Option (4) 62 is the 9th term, which is not the exact middle term.
∴ The correct answer is 49.
Additional Information
Median for Even Number of Observations
If the number of observations (N) is even, the median is the average of the (N ÷ 2)th and ((N ÷ 2) + 1)th terms. Formula: Median = [ (N/2)th term + (N/2 + 1)th term ] ÷ 2.
Empirical Relationship between Mean, Median, and Mode
For a moderately skewed distribution, the relationship is given by: Mode = 3 × Median − 2 × Mean.
Robustness of Median
The median is a robust measure of central tendency because it is not influenced by extreme values or outliers in the dataset.