a certain american state has 35 geographic counties. no two counties in the state contain exactly the same…

a certain american state has 35 geographic counties. no two counties in the state contain exactly the same population of people. the median county population is 120,000 people. how many counties have a population less than 120,000 people?\n\no16\no17\no18\no19\no20

a certain american state has 35 geographic counties. no two counties in the state contain exactly the same population of people. the median county population is 120,000 people. how many counties have a population less than 120,000 people?\n\no16\no17\no18\no19\no20

Answer

Explanation:

Step1: Recall median formula for odd - numbered data set

For a data set with (n) values (where (n) is odd), when the data is arranged in ascending order, the median is the (\left(\frac{n + 1}{2}\right))-th value. Here (n=35).

Step2: Calculate position of median

The position of the median is (\frac{35+ 1}{2}=\frac{36}{2}=18) - th value. This means when the county populations are arranged in ascending order, the 18 - th county has a population of 120,000 people.

Step3: Determine number of counties with less population

The number of counties with a population less than the median (120,000 people) is (17) since there are 17 values before the 18 - th value in an ordered list of 35 values.

Answer:

B. 17