Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A shop records the time that customers spend at the counter. The times are grouped in minutes, and two of the frequencies were smudged and are shown as and .
| Time (minutes) | Customers |
|---|---|
| 0-10 | 5 |
| 10-20 | x |
| 20-30 | 20 |
| 30-40 | 15 |
| 40-50 | y |
| 50-60 | 5 |
The shop manager remembers that the median time was minutes. Find and , and then find the mean time.
Mean: (class marks for grouped data). Median: the middle value, or for grouped data. Mode: the most common value, or .
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. The total. gives .
Step 2. The median class. The median lies between and , so the median class is to . Then , , , and .
Step 3. Use the formula. . So , which gives and . Then .
Step 4. The mean. The frequencies are . Then , so minutes.
Answer: , , and the mean time is about minutes.
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