Shortcut Trick
Arrange the monthly incomes in ascending order: 35, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 44, 46, 50.
Count of observations (n) = 10 (which is even).
Median = Average of the middle two terms (5th and 6th terms).
Median = (40 + 41) ÷ 2 = 40.5.
∴ The correct answer is 40.5.
Alternate Method
Given: Monthly incomes of 10 employees (in ₹ thousands) are 35, 40, 38, 50, 46, 42, 39, 37, 41, and 44.
Formula Used:
For an even number of observations (n):
Median = [(n/2)th observation + (n/2 + 1)th observation] ÷ 2
⇒ Total observations (n) = 10
⇒ Arrange incomes in ascending order: 35, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 44, 46, 50
⇒ n/2 = 10/2 = 5th term
⇒ n/2 + 1 = 10/2 + 1 = 6th term
⇒ 5th term = 40 and 6th term = 41
⇒ Median = (40 + 41) ÷ 2
⇒ Median = 81 ÷ 2 = 40.5
∴ The correct answer is 40.5.
Additional Information
Median for Odd Number of Terms
If n is odd, the Median is simply the middle-most value, calculated as the ((n + 1) ÷ 2)th term after sorting.
Empirical Relationship
For moderately skewed distributions: Mode = 3 × Median − 2 × Mean.
Effect of Outliers
The Median is a measure of central tendency that is robust against outliers, unlike the arithmetic mean which is heavily influenced by extreme values.