Mean Even

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Mean Even

by logitech » Mon Nov 17, 2008 5:27 pm
For a set X containing n integers, is the mean even?

(1) n is even.

(2) All of the integers in set X are even.

OA E

Source: MGMAT
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by cramya » Mon Nov 17, 2008 5:52 pm
Picked numbers for this. Dont know if there's an easier solution.

Does MGMAT provide one??

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by logitech » Mon Nov 17, 2008 6:47 pm
cramya wrote:Picked numbers for this. Dont know if there's an easier solution.

Does MGMAT provide one??
Yes it does. Let's have a discussion first. I can always PM you the solution, if you want.
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by cramya » Mon Nov 17, 2008 7:19 pm
Sounds good. Check ou the x-1 problem I posted also and let me know if MGMAT's is easier.

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by cramya » Mon Nov 17, 2008 7:22 pm
For a set X containing n integers, is the mean even?

(1) n is even.

(2) All of the integers in set X are even.

Stmt I)

0 2 4 6 mean is odd
2 4 6 12 mean even

INSUFF

Stmt II

0 2 4 mean is odd
2 4 6 mean even

StmT I and II together(using same example from I)

0 2 4 6 mean is odd
2 4 6 12 mean even

Done E)

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by mals24 » Tue Nov 18, 2008 2:55 am
Well you can use logic for this question.

St 1 says n is even.
That means your denominator is even.
Now if the sum of the integers is even - mean might be even or odd or not even an integer. Not all even integers are evenly divisible by an even integer.
For instance 16 is not divisible by 6. So the mean is neither even nor odd.

If the sum of the integers is odd - mean is not an integer, and hence its neither even nor odd.

So st 1 INSUFF

St 2 says all integers in set X are even

Again same logic
If n is odd the mean might be even or might not be an integer.
Example: 10/5 or 16/7.
If n is even the mean might not be an integer. (16/6 or 24/4 or 28/4).
So st 2 INSUFF

Combining 1 and 2, we know n is even and sum is even. But still we don't know if the mean is an integer or not (16/6 or 28/4 or 24/4).
So INSUFF

Answer is E

I hope you get the logic.
Whats MGMATs explanation btw.

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by cramya » Tue Nov 18, 2008 6:20 am
Mals24,
I am thinking MGMAT's explanation will be something along the lines of what u did.

Well done.

Regards,
Cramya

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by EricLien9122 » Tue Nov 18, 2008 7:14 am
It's hard to predict the out come of divisibility, because the outcome can be a fraction regardless the even or odd rules.

Q: set x has n number of int. is mean even?

Statement 1: n is even

mean can be fraction, odd or even

insufficient

Statement 2: all int. in x are even

mean can be fraction or even.

1+2, still not sufficient.

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by logitech » Tue Nov 18, 2008 8:49 am
Manhattan GMAT wrote:
For a set X containing n integers, the mean equals the sum of integers s divided by the number of integers n. If s is odd, the mean cannot be even. If s is even, there are no guaranteed outcomes for establishing that the mean of set X will be even. Therefore, there is no simple way to rephrase the question, but note that if we determine that s is odd we have achieved sufficiency.

(1) INSUFFICIENT: Statement (1) tells us nothing about whether s is odd or even. As noted above, if s were odd, we could determine that the mean of set X is not even. If s were even, observe that an even number by another even number could produce either an odd result (e.g. 12/4 = 3), an even result (e.g. 12/2 = 6), or a non-integer (e.g. 14/6).

(2) INSUFFICIENT: Statement (2) tells us that the sum s must be even. As described above, an even sum s does not provide a guaranteed outcome for the mean of set X regardless of whether n is odd or even.

(1) AND (2) INSUFFICIENT: Given that both s and n are even, there are no guaranteed outcomes for the mean of set X.

The correct answer is E. .
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by nitin86 » Tue Nov 18, 2008 7:22 pm
logitech wrote:
Manhattan GMAT wrote:
For a set X containing n integers, the mean equals the sum of integers s divided by the number of integers n. If s is odd, the mean cannot be even. If s is even, there are no guaranteed outcomes for establishing that the mean of set X will be even. Therefore, there is no simple way to rephrase the question, but note that if we determine that s is odd we have achieved sufficiency.

(1) INSUFFICIENT: Statement (1) tells us nothing about whether s is odd or even. As noted above, if s were odd, we could determine that the mean of set X is not even. If s were even, observe that an even number by another even number could produce either an odd result (e.g. 12/4 = 3), an even result (e.g. 12/2 = 6), or a non-integer (e.g. 14/6).

(2) INSUFFICIENT: Statement (2) tells us that the sum s must be even. As described above, an even sum s does not provide a guaranteed outcome for the mean of set X regardless of whether n is odd or even.

(1) AND (2) INSUFFICIENT: Given that both s and n are even, there are no guaranteed outcomes for the mean of set X.

The correct answer is E. .
I solved it using the logic that division of Even/Even can be even or odd.
as in case of 12/6 = 6 (even) or 12/4 = 3 (Odd).

So, even combining both stmt, we cant say Mean = Even ( Sum of all even numbers n) / n (even) will be definitely even.