The average (arithmetic mean) of five consecutive numbers is

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BTGmoderatorAT: Moderator; Posts: 426; Joined: Tue Aug 22, 2017 8:48 pmFollowed by: 1 member

by BTGmoderatorAT » Wed Dec 27, 2017 9:25 pm

The average (arithmetic mean) of five consecutive numbers is 48. What is the average of the three smallest of these numbers?

A. 45
B. 45.5
C. 46
D. 46.5
E. 47

I'm confused how to set up the formulas here. Can any experts help?

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Problem Solving | Wed Dec 27, 2017 9:25 pm

GMATGuruNY: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 15539; Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 12:04 pmFollowed by: 1906 members; Location: New York, NY; Thanked: 13060 times; GMAT Score:790

by GMATGuruNY » Wed Dec 27, 2017 11:05 pm

ardz24 wrote:The average (arithmetic mean) of five consecutive numbers is 48. What is the average of the three smallest of these numbers?

A. 45
B. 45.5
C. 46
D. 46.5
E. 47

In an EVENLY SPACED SET, the average = the median.

Thus, the median of the 5 consecutive integers = the average of the 5 consecutive integers = 48.
The following set is implied:
46, 47, 48, 49, 50.

The 3 smallest integers are as follows:
46, 47, 48.
The average of the 3 smallest integers = the median of the 3 smallest integers = 47.

The correct answer is E.

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Scott@TargetTestPrep: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 8152; Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2015 10:56 amFollowed by: 29 members; Location: Los Angeles, CA; Thanked: 43 times

by Scott@TargetTestPrep » Wed Sep 04, 2019 5:19 pm

BTGmoderatorAT wrote:The average (arithmetic mean) of five consecutive numbers is 48. What is the average of the three smallest of these numbers?

A. 45
B. 45.5
C. 46
D. 46.5
E. 47

I'm confused how to set up the formulas here. Can any experts help?

Since the average of the 5 consecutive numbers is 48, the median, which is the 3rd number, is also 48.

Thus, the first 3 numbers are 46, 47,and 48, so the average of those numbers, which is equal to the middle number, is 47.

Answer: E

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