Find all School-related info fast with the new School-Specific MBA Forum

 It is currently 25 May 2013, 21:11

# What is x?

Author Message
TAGS:
Intern
Joined: 29 Nov 2012
Posts: 5
Followers: 0

Kudos [?]: 0 [0], given: 0

What is x? [#permalink]  30 Nov 2012, 05:00
00:00

Question Stats:

56% (01:53) correct 43% (01:24) wrong based on 0 sessions
What is x?

(1) The median of set (x, 1, -1, 3, -x) = 0
(2) The median of set (x, 1, -1, 3, -x) = x/2

[Reveal] Spoiler:
1). there are five elements so the median has to be the middle number, therefore the middle number would have to be zero, so x would have to be zero, however zero is not positive or negative.

Dont think im understanding the question quite right??

Thanks
[Reveal] Spoiler: OA

Last edited by Bunuel on 30 Nov 2012, 05:05, edited 1 time in total.
Edited the question.
GMAT Club team member
Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Posts: 11628
Followers: 1802

Kudos [?]: 9613 [0], given: 829

Re: What is x? [#permalink]  30 Nov 2012, 05:07
sje12 wrote:
What is x?

(1) The median of set (x, 1, -1, 3, -x) = 0
(2) The median of set (x, 1, -1, 3, -x) = x/2

[Reveal] Spoiler:
1). there are five elements so the median has to be the middle number, therefore the middle number would have to be zero, so x would have to be zero, however zero is not positive or negative.

Dont think im understanding the question quite right??

Thanks

The question asks to find the value of x not to determine whether it's positive or negative.

What is the value of x?

Note that the median of a set with odd number of elements is just the middle element, when arranged in ascending/descending order.

(1) The median of set \{x, -1, 1, 3, -x\} is 0. The median of this set of 5 (odd) elements must be the middle term, hence x=0. Sufficient.

(2) The median of set \{x, -1, 1, 3, -x\} is \frac{x}{2}. It could be that x=0 (in this case the set is {-1, 0, 0, 1, 3}) as well as it could be that x=2 (in this case the set is {-2, -1, 1, 2, 3}). Not sufficient.

_________________
Intern
Joined: 29 Nov 2012
Posts: 5
Followers: 0

Kudos [?]: 0 [0], given: 0

Re: What is x? [#permalink]  30 Nov 2012, 05:22
But they label that x is negative and positive, and zero is not negative or positive, thats just what confuses me, why have they done that, or why is it irrelevant
GMAT Club team member
Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Posts: 11628
Followers: 1802

Kudos [?]: 9613 [0], given: 829

Re: What is x? [#permalink]  30 Nov 2012, 05:25
sje12 wrote:
But they label that x is negative and positive, and zero is not negative or positive, thats just what confuses me, why have they done that, or why is it irrelevant

You can write 0 as -0, there is nothing wrong with it (if it's what you are talking about).
_________________
Re: What is x?   [#permalink] 30 Nov 2012, 05:25
Similar topics Replies Last post
Similar
Topics:
4 What is the reminder for x/y? 7 22 Apr 2005, 10:46
What is X. 5 19 Nov 2007, 16:32
what is x 2 25 Nov 2007, 19:39
What is X 2 17 Sep 2009, 10:35
1 If x is an integer, what is the value of x? 14 01 Feb 2012, 22:58
Display posts from previous: Sort by